Honorable Karen Freeman-Wilson
Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson took the helm of the Chicago Urban League in January 2020. As President and CEO, Freeman-Wilson has been a national voice for dismantling institutional racism and growing black wealth by supporting black businesses, expanding educational opportunities for youth, promoting home ownership and developing the next generation of black civic leaders. Prior to joining the League, Freeman-Wilson served eight years as mayor of her hometown, Gary, Indiana and was the first woman to lead the legacy city and the first Black female mayor in Indiana.
Freeman-Wilson has served in the public and/or non-profit sector most of her professional life having held posts as the Indiana Attorney General, the Director of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission and Gary City Court Judge. She is a leader in the national drug court movement and serves as Vice Chair of the Board of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals where she previously served as the Chief Executive Officer. Freeman-Wilson is a licensed attorney and engaged in private practice for 25 years with a focus in municipal finance, government relations, family and criminal law.
Freeman-Wilson currently chairs the board for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP); and serves on the boards of the National Policing Institute, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Center for Community Progress. She is also a member of the Kaufman Foundation Council of Mayors and the Baumhart Center Advisory Board. She served as one of the subcommittee co-chairs for Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s Recovery Taskforce. Freeman-Wilson is a past president of the National League of Cities (NLC) and previously chaired the Criminal and Social Justice Committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and led the task force that authored USCM’s publication on building police-community trust. She is an active member of the Links, Inc., Israel C.M.E. Church, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the NAACP.
Freeman-Wilson has been honored by individuals and organizations throughout the United States, including the United States Office of Drug Control Policy, two Governors of Indiana, the Indianapolis Recorder, the Chicago Crusader, the California Senate, Indiana Black Expo, IHeart Radio, the Cleveland Avenue Foundation and the Gary Frontiers. She has also been featured in numerous publications including The Washington Post, Chicago Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Ebony, Essence, Governing and Real Simple Magazines.
Freeman-Wilson is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School where she returns frequently to lecture. She and her husband Carmen Wilson have a blended family that includes four adult children. Freeman-Wilson is also a caregiver for her mother who is a multiple stroke survivor.