Lori Lightfoot

Lori Elaine Lightfoot assumed office as mayor of Chicago, Illinois, on May 20, 2019. She was the first openly gay and the first African American woman to be mayor of Chicago. She lost her re-election bid in 2023.

Lightfoot was born on August 4, 1962, in Massillon, Ohio. She attended the University of Michigan where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1984. Lightfoot then attended the University of Chicago Law School and graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 1989. Afterward, she practiced law at a private law firm before going into public service.

From 1996-2002, Lightfoot served as assistant United States attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. Following that position, she was appointed as chief administrator of the Chicago Police Department Office of Professional Standards. In 2015, Lightfoot was appointed president of the Chicago Police Board and Police Accountability Task Force by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In 2018, she resigned in order to run for mayor.