Training Coordinator

Lori Wood is the CIT International Training Coordinator, retiring after 35 years of dedicated service at Region Ten Community Services Board, where she served as a senior leader overseeing crisis and community stabilization services.  A Licensed Professional Counselor, she has spent her career passionately supporting individuals in behavioral health crisis and building partnerships to improve service and outcomes. 

A graduate of Emory & Henry College and the University of Virginia, Lori’s journey with CIT began in 2007 as Virginia launched its CIT programming.  She became a master instructor with the Thomas Jefferson Area CIT program and has since supported the development and implementation of CIT programs throughout the nation. With additional training in hostage negotiation, Critical Incident Stress Management, and Mental Health First Aid, she has developed curriculum and training across a wide array of related topic areas.

Lori has served on the Virginia CIT Coalition Board of Directors, her local Emergency Response Team, and the Albemarle County School Safety Advisory Committee.  As a “founding mother” of the Lock and Talk Virginia Suicide Prevention program and inaugural chair of the Suicide Prevention & Awareness Resource Council (SPARC), she has been a tireless advocate for strengthening partnerships, advancing training, and improving crisis response for all.

Her contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including a mentorship award from the Central Virginia Lynchburg CIT program, the 2010 CIT Mental Health Advocate Award, the 2017 CIT International Behavioral Healthcare Professional of the Year, the 2018 Virginia CIT Behavioral Healthcare Professional of the Year, and the 2019 John L. Snook Child Advocate Award. Her greatest gift and accomplishment, however, remains her four children.