Lori Pesci is the Director of Public Safety for Summit County (OH), where she provides strategic leadership on criminal justice, homeland security, and emergency management issues. As Director, Lori oversees the Summit County Emergency Management Agency along with the County’s Justice Affairs, Animal Control, and Public Safety Communications Divisions.

Over her career, Lori has directed several major modernization initiatives, including the Virtual Court project, which equipped the Common Pleas and three municipal courts with technology to expand virtual hearings. She also led the implementation of a regional CAD system  and the successful consolidation of multiple emergency dispatch centers, significantly improving coordination, efficiency, and service delivery across the county. She assisted in creating the Jail Operations Advisory Commission, established to review jail finances and operations, identify best practices, and recommend improvements for both staff and inmates. She is a member of the Criminal Justice Advisory Board (the County’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council), has chaired the Jail Overcrowding Subcommittee and CAD Oversight Committee, served on the Summit County Reentry Network Executive Committee, and participated in the Criminal Justice and Mental Health Forum. In addition, she has managed multimillion-dollar grant programs, served as a peer reviewer for the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, and advised local, regional, and state policymakers on justice and public safety matters.

Lori began her career as a Deputy Sheriff with the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office, gaining experience in patrol, investigations, and jail operations, and earning certification as an Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy Instructor.

She currently serves on the National Criminal Justice Association Advisory Council as a Regional Representative and on several volunteer boards for local organizations, where she contributes her expertise to strengthen community resilience and public safety partnerships.