Lori Turner

Lori is Chief of Political Affairs at the Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS) where she leads INCS’ political strategy and works closely with public officials to develop policies that support high-performing charter public schools impacting the lives of more than 60,000 low-income students of color in Chicago and Illinois. Lori joined INCS after more than a decade of serving in various roles at Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE), a national nonprofit fighting to end the injustice of inequity in education through building a movement of civic leaders. As the Vice President of the Regional Impact team at LEE, Lori led a diverse team of Directors in 21 regions across the country working to support LEE members to change laws and policies to be more equitable. As a Senior Director on the Regional Impact team at LEE, Lori worked with the Chicago, DC and Texas Directors to increase impact and engagement. As the founding Director of LEE Chicago, Lori launched a diverse movement of leaders to grow civic leadership for children to ensure that every child can attend a great school. 

Before joining LEE, Lori was a staff attorney at the ACLU of Illinois, where she worked to protect children’s rights in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, including protecting their right to an education. Lori started at the ACLU as an Equal Justice Works fellow working to ensure that children in foster care have access to an adequate and stable education and receive appropriate mental health services. Before that, Lori was an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles public schools. Her teaching experience was the impetus for her to attend law school so she could become a more effective advocate for children and work for equity in public schools. Lori received her law degree from The Ohio State University and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Joe, and her children, Ava, Peter and Paulie.

Possible Talks:

• The Power of Giving Back: How it can lead to personal fulfillment & career opportunities
• Women in Leadership & Public Life: How civic engagement and policy influence create lasting change