Karen Freeman-Wilson
Legislative Policy Conference
Karen Freeman-Wilson
Karen Freeman-Wilson began serving as President and CEO of the Chicago Urban
League in January 2020. She brings a passion for equity and social justice to the
organization, which works to advance economic, educational, and social progress
for African Americans through direct service and advocacy. Having served in the
public arena most of her professional life, Freeman-Wilson has deep experience in
addressing issues that impact urban communities. She was mayor of her hometown
of Gary, Indiana, from 2012 through 2019. She was the first female to lead the city
of Gary and the first Black female mayor in Indiana. Her mayoral
accomplishments include job creation, completion of a $100 million airport
runway relocation, and the development of key areas in the city.
Freeman-Wilson previously served as Indiana Attorney General, Director of the
Indiana Civil Rights Commission, and presiding judge of the Gary City Court. She
also served as Executive Director of the National Drug Court Institute and CEO of
the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, where she is currently Board
Chair.
Freeman-Wilson is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. She is
a past President of the National League of Cities, past Chairperson of the Criminal
and Social Justice Committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and sits on the
National Policing Institute Board of Directors; Center for Community Progress
Board of Directors; . She is a member of Israel C.M.E. Church; Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc.; the Links, Inc.; the NAACP; the Urban League of Northwest
Indiana and the Indiana Bar.
Freeman-Wilson and her husband Carmen Wilson II have a blended family of four
children.