WHO WE ARE

Tom Lorenz has served in government for over 36 years.  For the last ten years, he oversaw Public Information, Community Outreach, Graphic Design, Film & Special Event Coordination. 

Tom began his career as a law enforcement officer in the 1980s with the Glendale Police Department. He investigated high profile cases with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Los Angeles Inter-Agency Apprehension Task Force. He has investigated several local and international high profile cases; some leading to the identification of corruption in government and law enforcement organizations.

This background in critical operations helped Tom develop tactical communication strategies and assisted in the mitigation of significant events concerning law enforcement, government, and elected officials. Tom speaks on a number of topics to include Media Mitigation, Social Media, E- Hostility, Crisis Communications, Effective Community Outreach, Emergency Communications and the Anatomy of a Troll.

His work has been recognized and published by many organizations concerning communications strategies on the local, state and national levels. 

Bianca Lorenz is a UX designer that believes strong communication is at the core of human connection and progress. Bianca's work focuses on utilizing empathy to build strong relationships between community stakeholders and key providers through mass media tools. 

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Bianca graduated from UC Berkeley with honors and a degree in Psychology. During that time Bianca's research interests focused specifically on the impact empathy has on an individual's well-being.

Bianca's career began with Teach for America, teaching 7th-grade math in East Oakland, Ca. in which she has worked as an educator and consultant for school culture and climate policy and developing curriculum for Teach for America - Bay Area around cultural responsiveness and Alameda County Center for Healthy Schools. Bianca earned her master's degree from Johns Hopkins University in Education. 

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Bianca's background in connecting people, cultivating strong cultures, and organizing critical information has helped her developed strategies to develop impactful curriculum, utilize data-driven techniques, and communicate effectively. Bianca speaks on a number of topics to include culturally responsive pedagogy, understanding community background, and youth impact. 

Craig Dittmann is currently an AP Environmental Science and Physics teacher in Oakland, California and believes an apt 21st century education should foster critical problem solving skills, articulate thought, skillful interpersonal relationships, and cultural competency.  

Craig graduated from the University of Washington with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management (ESRM) with a concentration in Sustainable Forest Management. Craig worked as a field technician under Dr. Morris Johnson at the Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Lab.

During Craig’s time at the lab he collected field and LIDAR measurements in recent burn zones focussing on burn severity, forest decomposition, regeneration and fuel loading. Craig has done research in California, Washington and Arizona. Part of the work focused on collaboration with local land managers, tribal councils and private landowners to create creative and sustainable management solutions. When working with multiple landowners it is imperative to effectively manage for multiple objects across complex often delicate ecosystems.

Craig’s background as a teacher and researcher has centered around building interpersonal relationships. Education is a valuable tool to provide context that allows citizens to access accurate information that will allow them to make informed decisions derived from the most recent research.