Jodi Walker (she/her), who has served as our Advisory Board Chair since 2023, has stepped down from her role. We’re incredibly thankful for her leadership and contributions to Provecho Collective over the past several years. Jodi was part of our original Governing Council for the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger and brought invaluable insight as Executive Director of Kids at Their Best. She always grounded our work in the realities of rural Colorado, lifting up perspectives from the deeply diverse community in Fort Morgan and beyond. We’re so grateful to Jodi for helping create a Colorado where there’s food for all, today and tomorrow. Jodi is still an active supporter of our work and a collaborator in our network as the Executive Director of Kids at Their Best, a food pantry in Ft Morgan .
While we thank Jodi for her years of service as our Advisory Board chair, we are simultaneously welcoming Monique Santos who will be stepping up as the interim Chair. Monique has also been a long-standing partner throughout the history of Provecho and has served on our Advisory Board since 2023. Monique shares:
“Provecho Collective is a leader in community defined systems in Colorado. I’ve participated in, learned from, and contributed to this organization’s work since 2019. Across those years, Provecho has demonstrated its commitment to championing community voice and power in Colorado’s food system. I am delighted to support the organization’s work in collaboration with brilliant advisory board. & Provecho’s passionate staff. We are living in very dynamic times, together we can navigate the waters and find collective solutions to support food sovereignty across the state.”
Based in Pueblo, Monique believes that food connects us to ourselves, each other, and our abundant planet. Monique’s first job in agriculture was picking tomatoes with her grandmother. At 14 years old, she entered food service and waitressed in countless restaurants for 16 years. Monique relied on WIC, SNAP, and food pantries during different times in her life. Her consulting practice, Eptimizo LLC, provides strategic services to food and agriculture businesses, nonprofits, and governments in an effort to build a more resilient and nourishing food system.
We invite you to join our Communications and Accessibility Committee, where she regularly offers her insights, wisdom, and warmth.
