Select Audience/Student Testimonials

Lori was an invaluable resource for the community while I was on campus. We invited her to our fraternity regularly to educate our members on consent & how to avoid/handle high risk situations. It's Lori's unique ability to connect with her audience which made her so effective. I recommended Lori to anyone looking for a speaker or training on sexual consent and/or sexual communication.

Darrin Ruiz, Sigma Alpha Epsilon

Lori mentored and counseled my 150 person fraternity, smack dab in the middle of a high risk college environment. Simply put, Lori is cool as hell. Every guy in the fraternity, no matter how big and popular they thought they were, listened to, and respected Lori. I later moved on to work professionally for a national fraternity, and never encountered another consultant as effective as Lori.

Barack Alon, Sigma Phi Epsilon

My first experience with Lori was a presentation that she gave my Fraternity. The presentation was about sexual assault and violence on college campuses and it turned out to be one of the most influential moments of my college life because it opened my eyes to things that I previously had never even thought twice about, such as: dating violence, consent for sex, and others.

Working with Lori was truly one of the most wonderful experiences I've had as an adult. She understands guys, she understands what we go through, the peer pressure we face, the influence we have on others, and she is able to relate to us on a personal level. Working with Lori was like working with a mentor and a friend who you could talk to about anything and everything. The work she has done has left a lasting impact on the fraternity men of my age group and our college campus as a whole. It’s thanks to Lori that I am the person I am today. Through her training I now have knowledge of: when to lookout for a friend who has drank too much, how to maintain a healthy relationship with my significant other, when to look for signs that a girl friend of mine is uncomfortable with a guy or a certain situation, and most importantly I have the tools and resources available to help someone who is the victim of sexual assault.

I highly recommend working with Lori to obtain the knowledge that everyone should have about women, dating, drinking, and sex.

Zane Dashty, Phi Kappa Theta

While working as VP for my fraternity, I had the opportunity to work with Lori on numerous levels. Lori not only helped guide us through numerous issues within the fraternity, but she was an incredible resource for our membership development as a whole. Lori gave both presentations and one-on-one mentoring for situations involving alcohol abuse, sexual assault, and other issues young fraternity men are likely to encounter. Her insight to these issues was second to none as she was able to understand multiple perspectives for each issue.  I was surprised at how well a woman was able to connect with and understand each of our (male) members. Her guidance was so unique because of her ability to sympathize, empathize, and connect with male audiences while presenting on topics with great knowledge and experience.

Nick Galles, Sigma Phi Epsilon

Lori is great at facilitating discussions focusing on sensitive topics like sexual communication and consent. These are not easy topics to talk about, but they are extremely helpful and valuable topics that all men should be aware of.

As a fraternity member, I saw the value in sharing those topics with my Brothers, a task that was only possible with Lori's training. As a former fraternity President, I saw the value in Lori's ability to get fraternity men to participate in the conversation, which can be very difficult no matter what the topics are.

Lori does a great job at making participants feel safe and I would highly recommend her as a speaker and consultant.

Todd Sumida, Phi Kappa Psi

Lori is the type of individual who makes you want to sit down, shut up, and listen... not because she is mean or might throw something at you but instead because what she has to say is EXTREMELY valuable. She has the unique ability to connect with almost any type of individual and will always take the time to listen to you. In my experience, working with Lori through her role with my fraternity, I learned how valuable her insights and attitude about life actually are. She is charismatic, funny, interesting, and most importantly thought-provoking.  Lori inspires young men to think differently about their actions and their roles in society.

Sean Kashanchi, Sigma Phi Epsilon

Out of all the educators I had at San Diego State, I can confidently say there were a few (3-4) whom had a powerful impact on my life. Lori is on that list. The ripple effect that she made from her involvement in various groups & communities on campus spread far wider & deeper than most people can ever fathom.

One of the characteristics she possesses that stands out is her honesty. She’s always completely authentic. That authenticity is so moving that it actually breaks through the minds of stubborn young 20 something fraternity men at universities all over the country. It also gets them to consider a different way of being. Lori provokes a powerful shift in behavior.

Rob O’Keefe, Sigma Phi Epsilon

Being new to the subject of sexual assault awareness prior to meeting Lori, it was refreshing that she had an innate ability to create healthy discussion rather than lecture, especially given it was an all male audience. Rather than ever feeling the conversation become negative or unproductive, it always felt like members of the group could vocalize concerns with certain topics without feeling like their input was awkward or unwanted. Having worked with her for over two years, I feel she's truly the best at what she does.

Jose Rodriguez, Phi Delta Theta

I was the VP of Finance in my fraternity when I first met Lori.  We had Lori speak to our entire Chapter multiple times on the importance of consent and sexual communication. Lori was able to deliver the content in a professional manner and really connect with the audience. Lori made a life-long impact on all of our lives at Sigep and we were blessed to have her as a mentor.

Ricky Araiza, Sigma Phi Epsilon

Lori’s ability to connect with her audience is immediately apparent, and I would attribute that to her young spirit and personal background.  She is able to broach subjects one would have thought taboo, and makes her audience feel like they can have open and honest discussions.  I believe that all of the students who have attended her training or presentations walked away the knowledge and moral compass to make tough decisions in socially awkward situations. 

Rusty Taylor, Sigma Phi Epsilon

Lori Bednarchik is an excellent orator and instructor. She conveys information clearly and concisely, all while remaining relatable to both male and female audiences. I cannot recommend her enough.

Gordon Smith, Delta Upsilon

Lori is an outstanding woman that dramatically altered my perspective on the world and my role in it as a man. She is down to earth and can cover controversial topics to help men better comprehend difficult situations. I'm grateful for being apart of her training and an member of the audience for her presentations Lori made me a better man, better husband, and even a more respected business man.

Jason Kirby, Sigma Phi Epsilon

Thinking back on my time in the Greek Community, I can't remember an individual who had more of an impact on reducing sexual stereotypes and promoting positive relations than Lori Bednarchik.  Rather than stand at a podium and read off statistics, Lori approached the very real threat of sexual violence on campus by engaging students as equals on topics that are often swept under the rug.  In her presentations and training we were given the freedom to express general feelings and concerns without judgement, and in doing so we could examine the cause and effect our actions.  Young men and women are coming up in an era where they are being educated on these topics but must be given a chance to discuss them in an open forum, and there is no better person to lead that discussion than Lori.

David Wendell, Sigma Alpha Epsilon

Select Professional Testimonials

I had the incredible opportunity of working with Lori in her role as a Health Educator at San Diego State University. In her work with Greek life and the student population at large, it was evident that Lori is educated and experienced in effective student communication techniques and her demeanor allows for her message to be internalized by her audience. Lori has a deep interest and passion for social communication, which is evidenced not only by her academic and career pursuits, but is clearly demonstrated in her work. Lori is a strong speaker and facilitator, and can handle both small and large groups while never shying away from difficult or sensitive topics.

Stephanie Waits-Galia, MPH, Director of Health Promotion, San Diego State University

Dr. Bednarchik served as a Faculty Fellow/Faculty Advisor at San Diego State with a men's social Fraternity that I coach.  Faculty Advisor can be a perfunctory title for anyone who helps a student org. get "On Campus" approval.  Faculty Fellow is a unique position allowed by our National Fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, for only those outstanding university employees who have the knowledge, talent, and demeanor to successfully mentor young college emerging leaders, and who commit to spending significant volunteer time engaged with the men and the chapter.

Dr. Bednarchik served in the latter capacity as a volunteer for five years with our local SigEp Chapter, California Delta, and provided caring and dedicated service to our men.  She has a unique ability to establish trusting and respectful relationships, while providing outstanding guidance and instruction in her areas of expertise.  She intuitively knew when it was time to listen and when it was time to instruct, so that her students/mentees not only gained the knowledge and insights, but were able to serve as instructors with their peers.

My professional background includes 33 years in public education, 22 of which were as a public elementary school principal.  I find Dr. Bednarchik to be outstanding in all areas.  She knows her material, uses a clear and concise communication style, develops excellent rapport with her students/clients, and is able to keep the fine balance between closeness and professional distance required for anyone working with college age students.  I give her my highest recommendation.

Ron Smith, Chapter Counselor, Sigma Phi Epsilon, San Diego State University

I worked with Dr. Bednarchik while she was employed as a Health Educator at San Diego State University. We were peers. I was also on the hire panel that chose her for her position as Sexual Assault Prevention Specialist within our department.

Engaging men in their search to understand their cultural upbringing and impact on others is perhaps Dr. B’s best quality. When she took over the FratMANers program at SDSU, I immediately recognized her capacity to connect with men via her very real examples faced by adolescent men. She says it like it is. The men totally recognized themselves in her examples of gender differences about perceptions of sexuality and how that relates to behaviors.

While at SDSU, Dr. B. was sought out as THE EXPERT to educate, but more importantly, provide interventions to prevent sexual violence. She was well received when speaking to small groups and large audiences in her effort to reduce/prevent the incidence of sexual violence.

This is not an easy topic to discuss. Dr. Bednarchik is aware of that, too. Yet, she also has this gift to connect with male populations who need to hear her message of how to communicate and be real and safe and respectful.

Dr. B. has what it takes to create research-based successful programs to reduce sexual violence.

Susan Henry, MPH, Healthcare Administrator

I have been associated with Dr. Bednarchik for many years as she has aided me in my volunteer capacity with a young men’s organization. Her message has had a great impact on the hundreds of young men (ages 18-22)  that she has spoken with.  Please note the “spoken with”.  The manor of delivery has kept the audience’s attention (unlike similar speakers I have seen).  Concise, documented and presented in an entertaining manner are the attention getters that gives her presentations that added plus factor. I am more than happy to recommend Dr. Bednarchik lectures on Sexual Assault Prevention.   

Edward “Skip” Dahlkamp, Alumni Volunteer Sigma Phi Epsilon, San Diego State University