Karen Freeman-Wilson, civil rights and political leader, to speak at LCC March 1

February 20, 2018 Jim Grandstaff
image of Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson


Freeman-Wilson is the first woman to serve as mayor of Gary, Indiana, and is Indiana’s first African-American female mayor. She is the former executive director of the National Drug Court Institute and previously served as Indiana’s attorney general. Her talk will focus on “Building Strong, Resilient Communities Through Education, Not Incarceration.”

“Mayor Freeman-Wilson’s commitment to public service is inspirational,” said Lane Community College President Margaret Hamilton. “Our speaker series is designed to build and inspire community and Mayor Freeman-Wilson is dedicated to improving the quality of life of those she serves. She recognizes education as a powerful vehicle for change in communities. It’s my hope that students and our own community are motivated by her message.”

Freeman-Wilson’s public service extends to state and national leadership positions. She is the first vice president of the National League of Cities and chairperson of the criminal and social justice committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Freeman-Wilson previously served as the director of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, and as the presiding judge of the Gary City Court. She is a leader in the national drug court movement and served as the CEO of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.

A short question-and-answer session will follow Freeman-Wilson’s talk. The Lane Community College Speaker Series is supported by the Roberta Konnie Endowment Fund in the Lane Community College Foundation. The series seeks to connect the campus and community through educational and inspirational events as part of the college’s mission to transform lives through learning.

Doors to the venue open at 5 p.m. For accommodations to attend the public event, contact the LCC Center for Accessible Resources at (541) 463-5150 (voice), 711 (relay), or AccessibleResources@lanecc.edu.

For more information about Lane Community College:

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Greg Evans, Associate Vice President for Equity and Inclusion

Lane Community College educates over 25,000 students annually at six locations across Lane County and online. Students and alumni from all 50 states and 79 countries create more than an $850 million dollar impact on the local economy, helping to support more than 13,000 local jobs. Lane provides affordable, quality, professional technical and college transfer programs; business development and employee training; academic, language and life skills development; and lifelong personal development and enrichment courses.

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