Lara Killick

Time at Durham

Lara graduated from Durham University in 2000 with a first-class BA (Hons) in Sport in the Community. During her time at Durham, she was an active member of Collingwood College, serving as JCR vice-treasurer, vice-president, and captain of the women’s hockey team. She also represented the university in women’s cricket from 1997 to 2000 and was part of the squad that narrowly missed victory against the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, in the 2000 BUCS Final.

Professional Life

Before beginning her academic career, Lara founded a sports consultancy business providing cricket coaching services to teams across the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The organization was committed to expanding access to high-quality sporting opportunities for underserved groups, particularly girls and women, children with disabilities, and disenfranchised youth.

In 2004, Lara returned to academia to drive social change through the education of future leaders, policymakers, and sport practitioners. She earned an MA with Distinction in the sociology of sport from the University of Leicester, followed by her PhD from Loughborough University (2005–2009). In 2017, she completed a master’s in public health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Lara currently serves as an Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Her research lies within the broad field of the sociology of health, with a particular focus on sport studies. Informed by her time at Durham, her academic philosophy is grounded in the principles of critical pedagogy, social justice, community participatory action research and servant leadership.

Social Life

Lara splits her time between Claremont, CA and her cabin in South Lake Tahoe, CA. She loves to hike, ski and travel as much as possible. Cricket continues to dominate her life.