Lori Hedges

Lori Hedges has dedicated her career to law enforcement and emergency management since 1989. She began in law enforcement and transitioned to emergency management roles with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in 1997, initially focused on command post operations. After retiring from the patrol, she assumed the position of Emergency Management Director in 2019 while also serving as a sheriff's deputy with the Cotton County Sheriff's Office. Hedges earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Florida Institute of Technology and maintains certifications as an Oklahoma Certified Emergency Manager (OCEM) and with the Oklahoma Emergency Management Association (OEMA). Her areas of specialization include narcotics investigation, K-9 handling, criminal interdiction, and the core pillars of emergency management including recovery, mitigation, and preparedness. She is a member of the Oklahoma Sheriff's Association and the Oklahoma Emergency Management Association. Beyond her professional duties, Hedges has championed domestic violence awareness, helping establish support services in Cotton County through partnerships with the Health Department, Red Cross, and a women's shelter. She attributes her success to hard work and perseverance and advises others, particularly young women in the field, to never take no for an answer while navigating persistent stigmas about women in law enforcement and positions of authority.