Lori Baker was born and raised in the Lebanon Valley and graduated from Lebanon Catholic High School. Her next journey began after enlisting in the Army. She served actively for 3 years and then served an additional 10 years in the U.S. Army Reserves achieving Staff Sergeant status (SSG). Serving in the military taught her loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, and integrity.
After working in the field of Managed Care for Workers Compensation as an Office Manager, Lori began a new career at GLRA in 2007 as the Maintenance Office Manager. Her position evolved and led to a promotion in 2021. She is Lebanon County’s first female Landfill Operations Manager. She manages the environmentally safe disposal of Lebanon County’s 130,000 tons of waste generated annually.
Lori manages a team of employees that she trains to facilitate the safe practices of environmental stewardship of Lebanon County’s solid waste, recycling, water monitoring, leachate collection system, natural aquatic life treatment systems, wildlife management, and clean energy production each day.
Lori is breaking down the barriers created by gender-role stereotypes in the workplace enhancing the status of women and girls in Lebanon County. This forges a new path for women as leaders in Lebanon County and beyond. Through Lori’s vision and drive, over 1,000 Lebanon County students annually tour the GLRA facilities. The students experience firsthand the management of GLRA. Lori is an inspiration for all young women that they, too, can succeed in a male driven industry.
Nominated by Amy Mazella DiBosco