Lori Hall Armstrong

Lori was a public servant to some of New York’s most recognized politicians, including former Governor Eliot Spitzer, New York City Council Member Eva Moskowitz, and New York State Senator & Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. As a political consultant, she worked with Senator Cory Booker on his transition team after his election as Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and with Gary, Indiana Mayor Karen Freeman Wilson. A prolific fundraiser, Lori raised several hundreds of thousands of dollars for political candidates and continues to identify support for various causes and non-profit campaigns. In the last congressional cycle Lori served on the finance committee for Congressman Antonio Delgado in his successful bid to become the representative in upstate New York. Lori is also a Founding Circle Member of Higher Heights for America which raises funds and awareness for black women running for political office at all levels of government. Most notably, she helped to arrange an event where the organization hosted Stacey Abrams during her Georgia gubernatorial run. Lori is most proud of her role as a board member, New York Ambassador and currently Los Angeles Ambassador for the Pinkwellchick Foundation and its annual “Bag-It” initiative. The foundation was established in honor of her late friend, Barbra Watson- Riley, who lost her battle with breast cancer but wanted to ensure that her legacy lived on through supporting other women who were battling the disease in chemo. The “Bag-It” initiative was created as a result and is an annual day of service on which volunteers nationwide assemble bags containing comfortable items suited for women receiving chemotherapy treatments. As a Los Angeles Ambassador, Lori established a partnership with UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center for the distribution of bags. Lori was honored by The Guidance Center of Westchester, a large, multi- service non-profit in New York, for her dedicated service to the community in 2018. She was also honored by the Westchester (NY) Business Council as one of the county’s 40 under 40 leaders. In New York, Lori served on the boards of the New Yorkers for Children, Girls Inc. NY, Partnership for Hugeunot Children’s Library, Boys and Girls Club of New Rochelle, and New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence. She was also a member of the Grants Advisory Committee for the New York Women’s Foundation, and her participation in and graduation from the Volunteer Center’s Leadership Westchester program was transformative. Lori is very proud of her tenure as an adjunct professor at Monroe College where she specialized and taught Social Media Marketing and mentored countless students in the college’s business department. Additionally, Lori is proud of what she helped create as Co-Founder of the OB Boogie, an annual kid and family fun fest held in Martha’s Vineyard every summer. The OB Boogie was founded by Lori and 3 other mom friends with 200 guests and in 6 years, it grew to the biggest family event on the island with 1,000 guests and premier sponsors such as BMW, Essence and Shea Moisture. It also featured kid entrepreneurs showcasing and selling their items. It has become a most beloved island tradition that was covered in the local newspaper. Lori is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Sigma Lambda Omega Chapter in the San Fernando Valley where she chairs the Sisterly Relations Committee. She is also a member of the San Fernando Valley Chapter of Jack & Jill of America where she is currently the Lead Teen Advisor and was awarded the distinction of Mother of Month for outstanding programming for the kids including a virtual session with Vice President Kamala Harris’ office, a workshop featuring the President of the ACLU and a Teen Town hall featuring ABC’s Mike Muse. Lori also volunteers her time, along with her family, to help the unhoused in Los Angeles by serving meals and supporting drives and initiatives in partnership with A Step to Freedom in South LA.
Since moving to Los Angeles with her husband Michael and sons Caleb and Coleman, Lori immediately joined two boards: 1) the inaugural board for Private School Village, which provides support and community to families of color in Los Angeles private schools, where she served as Co-Chair of its first fundraising gala and 2) the board of Girls Inc of Los Angeles  where she served as the Chair of the Governance Committee and Vice Chair of the board. At her sons’ school, Oakwood School, Lori is a very active parent as a member of the Board of Trustees where she serves as the Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee. Additionally she was appointed to and recently completed a two year term to serve as a Co-Chair of the Parent Organization Diversity Equity and Inclusion committee, a role in which she worked closely with the Head of School and other administers and parents to implement meaningful programs and initiatives to engage the parent body. Lastly, she is also a member of the San Fernando Valley Chapter of The Links, Incorporated where she currently chairs the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Committee