My path to food justice began long before I had the language for systems, policy, or equity.
As a middle schooler, I spent time visiting food pantries with my mom—not because she lacked resilience or determination, but because she didn’t speak English and needed support navigating systems that weren’t designed with her in mind. Years later, I came to understand that my family had also lacked information about public food benefits like SNAP and how to apply. That gap in access—to language, to information, to resources—stayed with me. It shaped how I began to understand hunger not as an individual failure, but as a reflection of how systems include or exclude people.
That understanding deepened when I later worked in a food pantry myself. I saw firsthand how organizations can either unintentionally reinforce barriers or become platforms for connection, leadership, and change. In one community, neighbors who initially came to the pantry for food eventually helped run it. Together, they established a community garden, with produce going back into the pantry. Over time, those same community members began organizing and working with their city to improve food access more broadly.
That experience made something clear to me: food access, community leadership, public benefits, and policy change are deeply interconnected. When people are trusted, supported, and resourced, they don’t just meet immediate needs—they shape solutions.
Those experiences continue to guide how I show up as a leader.
Because of my lived and professional experience, I believe that being of service is foundational to making meaningful progress—and that everyone brings assets, connections, and strengths to this work. My role as a leader is not to have all the answers, but to help create the conditions where the right voices are centered, collaboration is possible, and shared goals can take shape.
This perspective informs how I make decisions and set priorities. I am most interested in strategies that are developed alongside the people closest to the challenges we are working to address. Sustainable change requires collaboration across roles, sectors, and lived experiences, and it requires patience, trust, and clarity about where power lives and how it moves.
In moments of transition and uncertainty—like the one we are navigating now—I lean into this approach even more. I believe strongly in collective wisdom and in the importance of listening deeply, especially when the path forward is still emerging. Many voices help illuminate possibilities that no single perspective can see alone.
As we move into 2026, I am committed to strengthening and building upon the work that so many before me have led with care and intention. I am equally committed to learning alongside others, because no one person has the full answer to complex, systemic challenges.
This work has always been about more than food. It’s about dignity, access, and the shared responsibility we hold to one another. I’m grateful to be part of this collective effort and to continue learning and leading alongside Colorado communities.