Lori Simmons

Lori Simmons has always felt strongly about protecting the vulnerable and championing the underdog, and has been passionate about animal rights since childhood. Her family has operated A&S Rescue in the northwest suburbs since the 90’s. Lori attended college at University of IL at Urbana-Champaign and worked in HR for a decade, eventually deciding to leave the corporate environment permanently to work as an Uber/Lyft driver in 2015. Lori began organizing workers in 2018 after she witnessed firsthand the exploitative nature of the industry as it began to decline due to corporate greed and lack of regulation. She is a founding member of Chicago Rideshare Advocates, and became a full-time organizer with People’s Lobby in 2020. She is working to build worker power for rideshare drivers through The People’s Lobby’s gig worker base, Chicago Gig Alliance. Lori currently lives in Andersonville, Chicago with her family including her partner, little sis and beloved dog. Lori fights every day to dismantle racist and sexist systems and create a world where people are more.