Lori Bush (At-Large) was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, where her interest in public service began when she attended Girls State as the representative of her high school. Lori’s community service continued as a Big Sister in the Big Brother/Big Sisters program in New York.

In 1997, Lori moved to Cary and got involved right away – teaching classes with Junior Achievement, setting up a website and newsletter for her neighborhood and serving as president of the Preston Village Homeowners Association.

During the widening of Davis Drive, Lori realized how important it is for residents to be engaged and aware of the town's growth and the impact on neighborhoods. She attended the Town of Cary School of Government (2003), was appointed to the Town’s Planning and Zoning Board (2004-07) and served as chair of the Wake County Information Technology Advisory Committee (2003), Wake County Affordable Housing Task Force in addition to serving on other boards and commissions.

Lori also serves several non-profit organizations. As a Board member of the National Institute of Urban Search and Rescue she was dedicated to ensuring citizen disaster readiness. As a result of this work, Lori received the NIUSR’s prestigious "Perpetual Eagle for Leadership" for Excellence in Education” in 2009. Lori also was a board member of the National Cyber Security Alliance and teaches internet safety classes to parents and kids while keeping a watchful eye on family and friend’s online personas to ensure their online safety. She’s served as a Trustee for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Eastern North Carolina and has been a member of the NC State Hunt Library Technical Advisory Board.  Now, Lori is an active Board member of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the East Coast Greenway Alliance.  Both boards feed her soul – with the Museum and its mission in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math and her strong support of investments in greenways and safe ways to connect people to places.

Currently, Lori works at Cisco Systems, where she creates technology solutions for learning and education, and continues to have a passion for ensuring the safety and security of students and schools. Lori is an avid bicyclist, seeing much of Cary from two wheels or walking all over Cary’s greenways. She’s a wanna-be “gardener” and committed to protecting the environment and the local charm of Cary for all of Cary’s citizens.

Lori now lives in Downtown Cary with her husband, Greg and dog, Luna, while her grown children have recently moved to start their own careers. 

Vital Statistics

Place of Birth: St. Louis, MO

Date of Birth: 1964

Other places lived: Lexington, KY; Endicott, NY; St. Louis, MO; Raleigh, NC; Apex, NC

Number of Years as Cary Resident: Since 1994, resident of North Carolina since 1991

Number of terms served on Town Council (including current): 2011-2015 (First Term); 2015-2019 (Second Term); Mayor Pro Tem (2017-2019), 2019-2023 (Third Term)

Current term on council: 2023 - 2027 (Fourth Term)

Other political offices and/or appointments held, now or in the past: Mayor Pro Tem, Foreign Trade Zone Board Member (Research Triangle Regional Partnership), Triangle J Council of Governments (Smart Growth and Water Resources, Jordan Lake One Water Association), Wake County Affordable Housing Task Force, Cary Site Design Focus Group, Cary Citizen Issue Advisory Group (Chair) Cary Planning and Zoning Board, Wake County Information Technology Advisory Board

Current Employer: Cisco Systems

Current Occupation: Technical Lead, Education, Learning & Certifications

Number of years in current job or current line of work: 26 years

Other occupations or previous employers of interest: Cisco: Technical product management, Crisis & Emergency Management, Education Solutions; IBM: Product management and marketing

Education

Highest grade completed: Undergraduate degree

Degree(s) obtained: Bachelor of Science

School(s) attended: Missouri School of Science and Technology (aka University of Missouri – Rolla)

Primary areas of study: Computer Science and Engineering

Personal

Marital Status: Married

Number of children: 2

Number of school-age children: 0

Number of grandchildren: 0

Number of school-age grandchildren: 0

Church, religious denomination: Beth Or Synagogue

Current Civic Club Membership(s): Cary Chamber of Commerce, NC Women in Public Service, Alumnae; NC State, Hunt Library Technology Advisory Board

Local Boards and Professional Association Membership(s): North Carolina Technology Association; Foreign Trade Zone Board Member (Research Triangle Regional Partnership), Triangle J Council of Governments (Smart Growth and Water Resources, Jordan Lake One Water Association), Cary Information Services Advisory Board Liaison (2011-present), Cary Environmental Advisory Board Liaison (2011-2019)

Current Charitable Work, Association(s): Board member, Friends of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences; Board member, East Coast Greenway Alliance

Current Party Affiliation: Democrat

Awards, Honors, Recognitions, Service

Professional/Occupational: "Perpetual Eagle for Leadership" for Excellence in Education in 2009, by the National Institute of Urban Search and Rescue, Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), FAA – Certified Drone Pilot

Personal/Social: CBS Remarkable Woman Finalist (2021); Austin Lewis - Citizen Award for Building Bridges & Racial Unity (2021); Women of Western Wake (2019) – Cary Magazine; Former Preston Village Homeowners Association, President

Governmental/Political: Harvard Kennedy School (Senior Executives Fellow); Friday Fellow – William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations; Institute of Political Leadership (Class Speaker); Leadership NC Fellow; NC Center for Women in Public Service; Town of Cary School of Government, Graduate