Lonny Brooks

Lonny Brooks is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at California State University, East Bay. His research focuses on how new media technologies shape organizational narratives and roles, particularly through ethnographic studies of futurist institutions like the Institute for the Future. He holds a Ph.D. Candidate status from UC San Diego's Communication Department and an M.L.I.S. from UCLA.

Education:

• Ph.D. Candidate in Communication (UC San Diego, 1995–ongoing)
• M.L.I.S., Library and Information Science (UCLA, 1995)
• B.A. World Arts and Cultures (UCLA, 1990)

Research Interests:
Dr. Brooks explores the intersection of organizational communication and performance studies, examining how technologies like digital home spaces and futurist forecasting tools influence organizational storytelling. Key themes include futurist think tanks, participatory forecasting methods, and Afrofuturist cultural imaginaries.

Awards:

• UC San Diego Committee On Research Grant (Co-PI)
• UC San Diego Costa-Robles Graduate Fellowship
• California Library Black Caucus Award

Teaching & Service:
He teaches courses on organizational communication, research methods, and collaborative design. Professional roles include Research Affiliate at the Institute for the Future and distance learning coordinator at UCSD's Laboratory for Comparative Human Cognition. His work bridges academia and industry through projects like the 'Smart Home' initiative with Tianjin Municipal Government.

Publications:
Recent works include Queering: Liberation futures with Afrofuturism (2021) and Minority Reports from 2054 (2018), exploring speculative futures through critical lenses.