John Bwarie
Since 1997, John Bwarie has worked to help communities and individuals achieve success. Regarded as an expert in community building strategies and coalition building, he has served on dozens of non-profit boards, ranging from educational and economic to developmental and historical. He has helped start schools, launched non-profits, assisted businesses expand, and developed leadership programs & training courses.
Most recently, John served as the Strategy & Communications Officer for SAFRR: Science Application for Risk Reduction, a USGS project working to innovate the application of hazard science for the safety, security, and economic well-being of the nation. The project has helped communities increase their resilience towards natural hazards by effectively communicating science through innovative products.
John spent a decade working for the Los Angeles Mayor and City Council overseeing economic and community development projects. He led the Los Angeles’ International Earthquake Conference (2008) and the ARkStorm Summit (2011), and he also helped create and lead the Great Southern California ShakeOut executive steering committee, which created the largest earthquake drill in US history. John was named one of the "40 under 40" by the SFV Business Journal for his contributions to business (2006) and was awarded a national USGS communications award for his work on the ShakeOut (2010).
John graduated from University of California, San Diego, where he studied education and help start the Preuss Charter School, and he started his professional career as a high school teacher in Watts, CA. He currently lives with his wife in Los Angeles.