Lori
I so miss your beautiful smile and laugh! 😘❤️

Lori was always a high energy professional who also knew how to enjoy life and share that energy with the rest of us.  She was a loss to us at DCJ when she chose to help the nation with her NIC move. But clearly she added to our profession and grew nationally.   I will always remember her great laugh.
Scott Taylor

I just learned about Lori's passing and I am so sorry to see we have lost her. 
I had not seen or talked to Lori in quite sometime. However, I had the honor of working with her for DCJ in Multnomah County. She was our Supervisor who took on reform of our Pre-Trial program when it was extremely unpopular with Judges, DA's Office and Law Enforcement.  Our agency faced withering criticism from our community justice partners. Lori was a consummate professional. She continued to foster relationships with our partners and responded to their criticism with evidence and data. DCJ lost a valuable leader when she left for NIC. And I see that her contributions with NIC were of great value! 

I'm thinking about Lori today and her lust for life.  She inspired and touched so many people at different points in her life, and her career.    She was one of those rare individuals who was able to channel her operational professional experience locally to national policy change, and became a leader in the national justice reform movement. While I'll never forget the professional Lori, I'll also never forget the Lori who just liked to have fun with others.    I will cherish the times we able to celebrate life in backyards in Portland and Washington, DC.  I will not forget what a good friend she was to so many people.  The world is a little less joyous without Lori -- the justice reform field is much, much stronger because of Lori.    

I first met Lori in 2017 at a PTS Conference in Pittsburgh. She was seated at an NIC table. I will never forget how enthusiastic she was about work related to PTS. After the conference, I continued to communicate with her. She was always unselfish and willing to assist in anyway possible. She certainly made an impression on me. To her family, she was a bright shining light who will not be forgotten. You have my prayers, love and support. 

Joseph A. Haines, III 
Court Services Administrator 
Criminal District Court 
New Orleans, La  

I am deeply saddened by the news of Lori’s death.  Even after seven years of retirement, I can still recall the exuberance that Lori brought to everything she did.  My deepest sympathies to her family, friends, and colleagues. 

I first met Lori when she came to NIC from Multnomah County. We were in the early stages of launching EBDM and she stepped in as the program manager. We worked very closely together over the years, shaping that project and work. We developed an incredibly strong working relationship; it was one of the most supreme examples of collegial partnership I’ve ever experienced. From that, we became friends, and then very close friends.
Most people were aware that Lori was on medical leave but did not know that she was literally in a fight for her life. She limited knowledge of her struggle to a small number of people, and it was her wish that her privacy around her condition be maintained, because she believed in her heart that she would win this battle (because, let’s face it, she was not accustomed to losing any battle!) and because she would never allow attention to be focused on herself.
I was privileged to know Lori in the way that I did, to be in touch with her routinely throughout the course of her battle, and to be with her in person in her last few days. The pain of watching such an incredibly gifted and kind person pass when she had so much life potential remaining is unbearable. Yet Lori did—as only Lori would—leave an indelible mark on this world. 
Lori was the brilliant, strategic thinker behind evidence-based decision making (EBDM) and the powerhouse behind pretrial reforms that spanned the entire country and resulted in seminal written works. She also had an uncanny ability to find and bring together good people who, like herself, are selfless in their pursuit of justice. Their work will continue on in her honor.

This world offers many gifts throughout our journey, but few are as precious as the gift of knowing Lori Eville.

Honored to be a friend of Lori's.

Lori had the ability to cut through rhetoric and seize upon items that needed a second look or further explanation. When I might be second guessing myself, she was the one I could go to and say "do you have a minute"?

Lori called me a few weeks back while she was at dialysis.  She told me about the leave days that employees from NIC had donated which totaled over 700. She was so amazed by that.  During the call she also became emotional when she asked me to pass on a thank you to one of my staff members who had sent her a card and well wishes. This person had never “met” Lori but had been to a few conferences and had hear her speak. The card thanked her for being such an inspiration and for sparking passion for the field and the work. Once again Lori was amazed that someone who didn’t know her would send her a card.

I don’t think Lori realized the impact she really had across the country. Anyone who is a serious practitioner in the field knew Lori, either in person, by name or by reputation. Lori may not have lived a very long life but damn she made a difference.

My Dear Friend Lori:

Lori was a mentor, friend, colleague and bonus mom to me. She taught me so much about life, leadership and pretrial justice. I will miss hearing her say when I call "hey, my friend Tanya what’s going on” or making sure when we had dinner at a conference the menu had chicken fingers and fries for me. A piece of my heart has been broken but I will forever cherish the memories that we made together. Gone from earth but Never forgotten. #teamlori

With all my heart! 

Lori was always the optimist. She knew where we needed to go but there are different paths to get there. She was also a believer of doing what was right, just, fair...not what was easy. This often meant taking the road less traveled and paving the way for change. Taking a step back, listening to the room rather than what I thought- meeting people where they were, not where I wanted them to be.... always looking at all sides "all things equal".

Her reach was immeasurable. This is heartbreaking news.

I had the pleasure of learning from Lori. She was a true champion for pretrial reform and a wonderful, giving person.  I am grateful for her and will miss her.

Lori was truly special and it is a great loss for us all, both personally and professionally. She absolutely distinguished herself and left a mark on our system that will forever endure. Prayers go out to her and her family.

Lori truly was a special person. Her influence in this field is unprecedented.

She touched all of us and was so very full of life. My heart goes out to her family, loved ones, and our whole community.

Lori was a friend, a confidant, and a champion for justice.

Time to pause with you all and honor a beloved colleague with an authentic vision for truth, goodness, and compassion in our system.

I've been speechless today because my friend, "E" is gone. I promised her, her work would continue.  As the NIC family grieves our lost, we will also celebrate her.

I so admired her leadership, passion, and commitment to this work. I will remember her as a champion in community corrections with an emphasis on pretrial services and bail reform!

When I joined NAPSA in 2015, I didn’t know much about Pretrial and one of the first persons to come into my orbit was Lori.  She was a mentor, friend and true pioneer for pretrial agencies and reform.  Her leadership shines within those she came into contact.
 
As I send this, I am listening to the NIC Advisory Committee meeting.  They began the meeting with Shaina Vanek and Holly Busby paying heartfelt tributes to Lori and her family.  It was quite emotional and several others on the call shared similar tributes. 
 
Her passion and compassion resonated through all that she accomplished in her work and for her colleagues and especially for her family.  She will be missed in so many ways.

There are not enough words to describe the impact Lori had nationally as you know but this is what I sent out to my Policy Team below as well as many other folks across Oregon State if it is helpful:

Hello All,
It is with great sadness that I inform you that Lori Eville passed away earlier this week to cancer she had been battling since October of 2020.  As you may recall, Lori was a huge asset to Yamhill County when we were one of several national jurisdictions selected to participate in the EBDMI grant through the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) from 2009 to 2013 focusing work on our local pretrial justice and DAR prison deferral programs which elevated Yamhill County as a leader in Oregon criminal justice reform efforts.  Her level of knowledge and guidance were such a benefit to us over the year.  In addition to her work in Yamhill County, Lori served as a pioneer for pretrial justice nationally in her role with NIC as well as a partner with the National Association of Pretrial Service Agencies (NAPSA).  She was a main speaker at each annual conference for years since I have been in attendance and was esteemed by everyone she met.  She regularly participated in the Oregon Pretrial Justice Network and presented up-to-date research and evidence based practices to our group. 

Her roots are tied to Oregon per the Multnomah County YCDCJ Director’s comments below so Yamhill County always had a very special place in her heart.  She was truly passionate about community corrections, pretrial justice and overall criminal justice reform.   Was my pretrial mentor and friend.  She will be truly missed.  Please forward this along to anyone I missed that you feel would like to know.

I think we were in Indiana maybe. Lori was leading the state stakeholder team groups. One of the team members, I think it was a judge or a DA said he thought money bail was the only way to get defendants back to court. After engaging him in a conversation about his thinking he would not budge. Lori then told him “well this is not going to work, you will not be able to be a part of this group anymore”. He looked like a lost puppy and said something about wanting to stay on the team and that he would re-consider his beliefs. She was that convincing! People always succumbed to her wisdom and passion for justice.

Lori was an inspiration to me personally and to the field of work I love. 

A warrior for pretrial justice and a fighter for her family.  A kind and compassionate person who passionately loved life and insisted on fairness and equity for all.  Incredibly loyal to friends, family, and to her core values. 

Lori’s laugh made us all feel better.  She always managed to see the bright side and keep moving forward despite some setbacks and major disappointments.  She showed us the meaning of the word “resilient”.   She never gave up. 

She was a true believer in her work for pretrial justice and challenged everyone around her to keep moving the ball forward. 

She adored her family and talked often of her love for her daughter. 

She will be missed enormously by so many


Lori was a true professional and a great person. She always had a smile and something positive to say. She was a tremendous advocate for criminal justice reform. She will be missed. Keeping Lori’s family in my thoughts and prayers. 

Lori will be missed and remembered. What a great person and professional.

Lori was a mentor of mine and such a lovely, generous, and thoughtful person. I'll miss her a lot. Nichole and Kaliyah, hope you're both doing alright. (We haven't met, but she talked about you both the last few times we caught up over the phone.)

All my best,
Terry Schuster
tschuster@pewtrusts.org

I'm so sorry to hear this. Lori was a wonderful person with a beautiful spirit, and a beloved leader in the world of pretrial justice. RIP Lori. 

To Lori's family, my thoughts are with you.   In trying to find the right words, I want to say the one thing that I think all her pretrial friends know.  Lori did what we all wish we could do... make a real difference.  She leaves many of us grieving, but she also leaves all of us inspired, hopeful, and grateful for being part of who she was.  I assure you, we will carry on her passion and vision.  

Lori was an amazing woman...full of laughter and joy ... filling every room she entered.  May all the great  memories give you peace and comfort. Lots of love... Robin

Lori was such an amazing woman! I will forever remember her laughter and her beautiful smile. Lori was such an inspiration to me! I will miss you always 💖 

Lori was one of the greatest leaders I've ever had the pleasure of working with. She was my boss for a time, but much more than that. I greatly valued her advice, intellect, 
sense of humor, compassion,  and leadership. I considered her a mentor.  She was greatly missed when she moved on to new adventures but, she will be missed even more deeply with her passing. 
My condolences go out to her friends and family. 
Rest in Peace Lori. 

Nicole, our prayers are with you and your family. 

I am so sorry for your loss. Lori was a great friend and colleague. She was a remarkable woman, who was so engaging, energetic, and so able to bring people and ideas together. I will miss her advice, her smile and laugh, and her generous heart. 

OBITUARY

Lori Ann Eville

10 July, 1963 – 10 March, 2021

Huntt Funeral Home

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