Lee Herrick is the California Poet Laureate. He is the author of four books of poems: In Praise of Late Wonder: New and Selected Poems (Gunpowder Press, September 2024); Scar and Flower, finalist for the 2020 Northern California Book Award; Gardening Secrets of the Dead; and This Many Miles from Desire.

He is co-editor of The World I Leave You: Asian American Poets on Faith and Spirit (Orison Books 2020) and Afterlives: An AGNI Portfolio of Asian Adoptee Diaspora Writing. His poems appear widely, in The Poetry Foundation, Academy of American Poets, The Place That Inhabits Us: Poems from the San Francisco Bay Watershed, Indivisible: Poems of Social Justice with a foreword by Common, HERE: Poems for the Planet, with a foreword by the Dalai Lama, and Dear America: Letters of Hope, Habitat, Defiance, and Democracy, among others. Herrick serves on the advisory board of Terrain.org and Sixteen Rivers Press. He co-founded LitHop in Fresno. He has taught in Qingdao, China, and for Kundiman.

He was born in Daejeon, Korea and adopted as an infant. He lives with his family in Fresno, California and served as Fresno Poet Laureate from 2015-2017. He teaches at Fresno City College and in the low-residency MFA program at University of Nevada Reno at Lake Tahoe. He is the 10th California Poet Laureate, and the first Asian American to serve in the role.

Tony Benitez - Science & Technology Guest Speaker

Tony Benitez is a Digital Forensic Criminal Investigator at the Office of the Tulare County District Attorney Bureau of Investigations. Working in the digital forensic lab has been a rewarding experience for Tony, which has paved the road for a unique career path. In this cyber world most people leave a digital footprint as they go about their day-to-day activities. Tony has developed a passion for recovering digital evidence from cell phones to computers to servers. The recovery of this data plays a vital role in most investigations these days.

Tony grew up in Tulare County and decided to pursue a career in law enforcement. He obtained his master’s degree in digital forensics while working full-time and holds numerous certifications in both digital forensics and cyber security. In addition to working for the Office of the District Attorney, Tony is also an Instructor for the California Department of Justice, Cyber Crimes Training Program.

When Tony is not working, he enjoys traveling and seeing the Northern Lights is on his bucket list.

On Man Lau - Engineering Guest Speaker

On Man Lau grew up in Delano, California. After graduating from California Polytechnic University of San Luis Obispo in 1994 with a master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering with, an emphasis in Geotechnical Engineering, he began his professional career in Bakersfield, California. Currently, he is the Engineering Manager for Soils Engineering, Incorporate in Bakersfield, California. On Man is a registered civil engineer and geotechnical engineer.  He is the Past President for the American Society of Civil Engineers for the Los Angeles Section, San Joaquin Branch, and the Past President for the American Public Works Association for the Central California Chapter, Kern Branch. When he is not working, On Man likes to spend time with his family and explore the outdoors. His bucket list and dream is to cycle across The United States.  One of his hobbies is gardening and growing vegetables.  His favorite sport.  American Football.

Lee Harrick - Keynote Art Guest Speaker

Lee Herrick is the California Poet Laureate. He is the author of four books of poems: In Praise of Late Wonder: New and Selected Poems (Gunpowder Press, September 2024); Scar and Flower, finalist for the 2020 Northern California Book Award; Gardening Secrets of the Dead; and This Many Miles from Desire.

He is co-editor of The World I Leave You: Asian American Poets on Faith and Spirit (Orison Books 2020) and Afterlives: An AGNI Portfolio of Asian Adoptee Diaspora Writing. His poems appear widely, in The Poetry Foundation, Academy of American Poets, The Place That Inhabits Us: Poems from the San Francisco Bay Watershed, Indivisible: Poems of Social Justice with a foreword by Common, HERE: Poems for the Planet, with a foreword by the Dalai Lama, and Dear America: Letters of Hope, Habitat, Defiance, and Democracy, among others. Herrick serves on the advisory board of Terrain.org and Sixteen Rivers Press. He co-founded LitHop in Fresno. He has taught in Qingdao, China, and for Kundiman.

He was born in Daejeon, Korea and adopted as an infant. He lives with his family in Fresno, California and served as Fresno Poet Laureate from 2015-2017. He teaches at Fresno City College and in the low-residency MFA program at University of Nevada Reno at Lake Tahoe. He is the 10th California Poet Laureate, and the first Asian American to serve in the role.

Brenda Diaz - Math Guest Speaker

Brenda Diaz is the Financial Education Coordinator at Tulare County Federal Credit Union. She manages the only student-operated branch in Tulare County, located on the Porterville High School campus. Much of her job is educating and training students on Financial Literacy, along with the branch operations of their High School branch. Brenda serves on the Partnership Academy of Business Advisory Board at PHS and Student Site Council at Roosevelt Elementary.

Brenda Diaz was born and lived in La Paz B.C.S. Mexico. In 1995 Brenda and her parents moved to Lindsay, CA where she attended school and obtained her high school diploma from Lindsay High School in 2003. In the spring of 2007, Brenda obtained her Associate’s Degree in Business Management from College of the Sequoias.

When she is not working, Brenda enjoys spending time with her husband, two kids and her two dos doing things such as; going to watch Baseball games, the Zoo and the park. Brenda loves going to the beach on a nice sunny day. Her favorite food is Sushi.