Lori Latham has served on Gary’s Common Council since January 2023. Working full-time as a Business Development Representative with Wessler Engineering, she brings a strong background in community organization, governmental and nonprofit operations, community health and wellness, fundraising, and development.

A long-time public health, environmental, and social justice activist, Lori is a member of the Live Lake County Tobacco Prevention Coalition and the former Chair of its Secondhand Smoke Committee. She also serves on the Environmental and Climate Justice Committee of the NAACP Gary Branch and is a Board Member of the Project Rebuild Foundation.

Lori earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Tennessee State University and a Master of Arts in Social Justice from Loyola University Chicago. She went on to found and direct the Central District Organizing Project (CDOP), a grassroots nonprofit organization in the Midtown neighborhood of Gary, Indiana. In addition, she led the City of Gary’s Park Department as Superintendent and directed the Gary Youth Service Bureau.

A proud native of Gary, Lori currently resides in the city with her husband, Darian, their three children—Daylen, Lauren, and Lennon—and her father, Clarence Peterson.

Lori Latham | llatham@gary.gov

Empris Franklin, Legislative Assistant | efranklin@gary.gov