Lorena Piedra is an assistant professor of public policy at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador and currently the president of the Ecuadorian Association of International Studies. She is the first female expert in police intelligence and criminal violence in Ecuador. Her most recent publication is Instrumentalizing political violence: Electoral authoritarianism and institutional practices in Intelligence services in Ecuador (2023). As a public speaker and influencer, Piedra has been a strong advocate for prison reforms, especially in the female wards where gender violence is rampant.

Piedra was an event speaker at the Dialogue.