White House Florist Named Centralia College Distinguished Alumnus

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Centralia College is honoring a graduate who went on to the White House. 

The floral designs of Laura Dowling captured the eye of first lady Michelle Obama, who appointed the 1979 Centralia College graduate as chief floral designer for the White House in 2009.

Dowling will return to her alma mater in June to receive the college’s 2013 Distinguished Alumnus Award and speak at the commencement ceremony.

“The Distinguished Alumnus Award is to recognize people who have risen to the top of their profession,” said college President James Walton. “In terms of notoriety and floral design, you probably can’t do any better.”

Dowling will become the college’s 35th person to receive the award, joining the ranks of other distinguished alumnus, including last year’s recipient Angela Meade, a rising opera star who has performed around the world.

“It is amazing and humbling to join such a distinguished group,”  Dowling said in a press release. “I am really honored by this award. I had such a wonderful experience at Centralia College, participating in academic, theatrical and athletic pursuits.”

At Centralia College, Dowling majored in social sciences with a goal of pre-law education. 

The Chehalis native went on to the University of Washington, where she earned an undergraduate degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration before being selected for an internship in the U.S. Senate.

On track for a career in government service, Dowling took a job at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, where she coordinated fundraising and lobbying efforts for the international affairs think tank located within the Smithsonian Institution from 1985 until 1998. 

Over the next decade, Dowling worked in communications at The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest environmental nonprofit agency. 



But when Dowling took her first trip to Paris in 2000, she found her true passion while studying French floral arrangements.

Dowling then launched a part-time independent design company, creating floral concepts and décor for private, corporate and official government events in Washington, D.C.

Today, as the nation’s top floral designer, the 52-year-old is responsible for creating the signature White House style.

“It is an absolute pleasure to come to work each day and to work in such an inspirational setting — the White House, the people’s house — creating floral décor for an amazing array of official events and everyday activities,” Dowling said.

Dowling manages, plans, and implements décor and flowers for a broad range of presidential events, including state dinners, parties, receptions as well as the White House Christmas. Additionally, she creates arrangements for the state rooms, East and West Wing offices, and the private residences.

“It’s a pretty impressive career,” Walton said. “It’s another example of you never know where you’re going to end up in life ... Obviously, she had a passion and followed it to the top of her profession.”

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