Laura Benitez is the State Policy Manager at PEN America. With exposure working in seven legislative sessions at the Arizona State Senate Research Staff, a nonpartisan department that serves as a bridge between legislators, stakeholders, and the public by providing objective policy analysis and research and facilitating legislative procedures. Most recently, Benitez served as the Senate Education Committee Research Analyst, with primary responsibility over K-12 and higher education policy analysis, and as the Research Staff Editor, assisting with quality control for department publications across issue areas. Prior to that, she held various roles staffing commerce, workforce development and education issues. Benitez holds a BA in Political Science and a minor in Spanish from the University of Arizona.
