As chief executive officer of ACS, Lori directs strategic communication planning, government relations and advocacy efforts, capacity building, policy analysis and strategy development for ACS clients.
ACS is one of the only female- and minority-owned consulting firms in Ohio. The women-led, women-driven firm has a national reputation for its communication and strategy development expertise and deep understanding of policy and advocacy, especially for organizations in the early childhood, K-12 education, and health and human service sectors. Collectively, the firm has more than 75 years’ experience developing and implementing strategies that help clients achieve measurable results.
Lori has more than 30 years of experience in media and advocacy. She has successfully advocated on various education, health and human services, and economic issues at the federal, state, and local levels. Before starting ACS in 2004, Lori held leadership positions with the Federation for Community Planning, Public/Private Ventures, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and the Center for Community Solutions. Lori was the founding director for an Ohio statewide early care and education effort: groundWork™, raising awareness among elected officials and the media about the importance of providing high quality education and care for all children birth through age six, raising $500 million in the Ohio state budget.
Lori began her career as a newspaper reporter for several daily newspapers. She also served as a press secretary for Congressman David Mann in Cincinnati and has held leadership positions on several dozen local, state and national issue and candidate campaigns. She was selected to be a national training fellow for the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI), teaching nonprofits across the country how to effectively and legally engage in all aspects of advocacy.
In addition to her professional commitments, Lori currently serves on the national board of Parents As Teachers She previously served on the boards of:
- The Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, a national organization
- Parents for Public Schools, a national organization
- Luke’s Foundation
- Education Voters of Ohio
- The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
- The Cleveland Public Library
- The Greater Cleveland Media Development Corporation
Lori earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication and a Certificate in Journalism from the University of Cincinnati. Lori was named Crain’s Cleveland Business Notable Black Leaders in 2024, Crain’s Women of Note in 2019, received a “Friend of Public Education” award from the Ohio Federation of Teachers in 2005, and in 2002, she received an award from the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center for her outstanding volunteer work. Lori and her husband live in Cleveland, Ohio.