Lori McClung
President
As President of Advocacy & Communication Solutions (ACS), Lori directs strategic communication planning, government relations and advocacy efforts, policy analysis and strategy development for ACS clients.
Lori has nearly 20 years' experience in media, public policy and advocacy. During those years, she has successfully advocated on various education, health and human services, and economic issues at the federal, state and local levels.
Before starting her own company, Lori served in staff and leadership positions with Federation for Community Planning, Public/Private Ventures, the Cleveland Municipal School District, and Center for Community Solutions.
For three years, Lori was the Director of the Government Affairs Department for the largest school district in Ohio — the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. In her role as Director, Lori successfully lobbied on issues related to federal E-rate, No Child Left Behind, school facilities, teacher recruitment/retention and other issues of critical importance to public schools. As the lobbyist for the school district she successfully lobbied to halt proposed rule changes by the Federal Communications Commission that would have cut $70 million in educational technology funding, and secured $6 million in capital funding for the school district.
For four years, Lori was the campaign director for the statewide early care and education campaign groundWork. She was responsible for the overall strategy, coordination, planning, fundraising, hiring of staff, and lobbying for the entire campaign.
During the campaign, several thousand Ohioans were recruited to raise awareness amongst elected officials and the media about the importance of providing high quality education and care for all children birth through age 6. That successful advocacy effort raised nearly $300 million in the state fiscal year 2008-2009 state budget for early care and education in Ohio, and $200 million more in the state fiscal year 2006-2007 budget for early care and education.
In 2005, she was selected to be a national training fellow for the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI). In that capacity she travels across the country training individuals and organizations about the importance of lobbying, how to lobby, and educating them about the legal dos and don’ts of lobbying.
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. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications and a Certificate in Journalism from the University of Cincinnati.
In addition to her professional commitments, Lori serves on the boards of:
- The Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, a national organization
- The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
- Education Voters of Ohio
Previous board memberships include:
- The Cleveland Public Library
- The Greater Cleveland Media Development Corporation
- Parents for Public Schools, a national organization
Lori 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 the City of Cleveland.
lori@advocacyandcommunication.org