Lori McDonald has served as Chief of Staff for the Arkansas Department of Human Services since November 2024.

In this role, McDonald acts as the primary point of contact for legislators, elected officials, and other state agencies, and develops and manages special projects across various programs that DHS oversees.

McDonald began her career with DHS in 2003 when she was hired as a program coordinator within the Office of Chief Counsel (OCC), and she was promoted to a program manager in 2014. In 2017, she was promoted again to program administrator, where she tracked legislation affecting DHS and served as a liaison between the agency and elected officials. McDonald began serving as Assistant Deputy Director and Deputy Chief of Staff of Legislative Affairs in January 2023. In that role, she supported an array of legislative efforts and managed a team focused on constituent services.

McDonald and her husband, Dan, live in Redfield, where they both serve as pastors at Family Church.