Lenora Gayle Barry

Re-Entry Coordinator

A native of Bessemer, Alabama, Lenora Gayle Barry graduated from Miles College, an HBCU, in Fairfield, Alabama, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She subsequently relocated to Toledo in 1969 and married her husband, Earl Barry, a Toledo police officer.

Ms. Barry received her Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Michigan in 1973. Her career began as a caseworker with the American Red Cross in Service to Military Families. She then became a probation officer for the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio, in Toledo in 1975.

In 1988, she was promoted to the rank of deputy chief probation officer —  the first woman and the first African American to serve in that position. She retired from the United States District Court in 2005.

Post retirement, Ms. Barry trained as a Lucas County Juvenile Court contract mediator, engaging with schools and parents to stop youth from entering the  prison pipeline. She continues to be actively engaged with the Reentry Coalition of Northwest Ohio, serving on its board since its beginning.

Ms. Barry became involved with the Toledo Community Coalition as an advocate for inmate reentry into the community, and has remained active since its beginning. She remains an advocate for family, church, and community engagement to make our communities safe for all residents.