Senator Lori Urso
Secretary, Senate Committee on Health & Human Services
Member, Senate
Committee on Environment & Agriculture
Member, Senate Committee on
Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technologies
Lori Urso is a Democrat representing District 8 (Pawtucket) in the Rhode Island State Senate. She was elected in November 2024.
In her first year, Senator Urso passed legislation that amended the state’s Fair Employment Practices Act to require workplace accommodations for women during the menopause transition, making Rhode Island the first in the nation to enshrine these protections into law. That bill quickly became model legislation in numerous states and was passed as an ordinance by the Philadelphia City Council.
Senator Urso also passed legislation in 2025 to create a pathway to licensure for internationally trained physicians, as well as a bill to create and fund the Main Street Rhode Island coordinating program to establish a statewide community-based revitalization program for our historic downtown districts.
Senator Urso brings a record of leadership and accomplishment in local government and the nonprofit sector. Since 2014, she has served as president and CEO of the Old Slater Mill Association, operating the Slater Industrial Archives, a library and repository for Pawtucket’s industrial history. She played a lead role in the transition of the Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark into the portfolio of the National Park Service. She has worked in historic preservation in Rhode Island for 17 years.
She served on the RI Historical Records Advisory Board from 2015 to 2025, and has co-chaired Pawtucket International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month for the past decade. She served nine years on the board of the Pawtucket Foundation, and currently serves on Pawtucket’s Riverfront Commission. She is a member of the Pawtucket cohort of Main Street Rhode Island revitalization program.
Previously, Senator Urso worked in river and watershed conservation, leading the Wood-Pawtucket Watershed Association for 10 years. She was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 in 2008 for her efforts in fisheries restoration, and the improvement of recreational access to the rivers.
She holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Rhode Island, and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Rutgers University. She was a 2013 Rhode Island Foundation Leadership Fellow, and served on the Westerly Town Council from 2000-2002.