CDF-Texas Staff

Laura Guerra-Cardus, M.D.
Texas Associate Director

Dr. Laura Guerra-Cardus serves as Associate Director for the Texas office of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF). She leads CDF’s policy initiatives, including the Texas Finish Line Campaign, which works with statewide partners to ensure that all Texas children have access to affordable, comprehensive health care coverage.  Since 2008 the Campaign has connected more than 800,000 children with health coverage. 

From 2009 - 2010, Laura served as both CDF-Texas' Interim Director and Policy Director.  She has also previously led Texas’ Cradle to Prison Pipeline^® Campaign, which raises awareness and works to dismantle the pipeline that funnels hundreds of thousands of children annually towards arrest, conviction and incarceration.

Laura is a graduate of Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. After graduating from medical school, Laura served as a Fellow in the Coro Fellowship Program in Public Affairs – St. Louis, managing diverse health care projects for civic and public service organizations, including leading an evaluation of children's access to health care for the St. Louis Regional Health Commission and the Missouri Foundation for Health.