Episode 6: California FreshWorks Ecosystems
Live on February 15, 2021
In this episode we interview Anthony Chang, Founder and Director of Kitchen Table Advisors, and Genoveva (Veva) Islas, Founder and Director of Cultiva La Salud. They share their inspiring stories of how they have built and sustained a resilient regional food ecosystem that focuses on equitable access to healthy foods in low-income communities.
This podcast is hosted by Leticia Corona and Ome Quetzal Lopez.
About the Speakers
Anthony Chang, Founder & Director, Kitchen Table Advisors
Anthony Chang, Director at Kitchen Table Advisors, is the son of Asian immigrant small business owners and has spent 20+ years working in economic opportunity for communities of color, and in particular immigrant communities. He spent 15+ years lending to small businesses in nationally recognized community development financial institutions (CDFIs) such as Opportunity Fund and California FarmLink. He was the founding Executive Director of Kitchen Table Advisors, a nonprofit focused on fueling the economic viability of a multi-racial next generation of sustainable small farms and ranches. He also currently sits on the board of Common Future, and is a 2020 Castanea Fellow.
Genoveva Islas, Founder & Director, Cultiva La Salud
Genoveva Islas was born in Fresno, California and grew up in small rural communities of the San Joaquin Valley; her parents, Jose Roberto and Elena Islas were farm laborers. She is married to Keith Hooker, Sr., who is retired. Genoveva has two sons, Richard and Andre and her stepchildren include Kevin, Devin, Montesa and Keith, Jr. Together, Keith and Genoveva have a total of 21 grandchildren. Genoveva is the first in her family to attend college and graduate with an advanced degree. She earned a Bachelors of Science in Health Science with an emphasis in Community Health from California State University, Fresno and received a Masters in Public Health degree in Health Education and Promotion from Loma Linda University. Genoveva is the Founder & Director of Cultiva La Salud. Cultiva is dedicated to advancing health equity by fostering policy, system, and environmental improvements that create healthy communities. Cultiva’s efforts also focus on building community leadership so that residents can be more effective in advocating for healthy changes in their communities. Genoveva is a recognized Culture of Health Leader by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and an Aspen Institute, Healthy Communities Fellow. Genoveva is a board member for Fresno Building Healthy Communities, the Community Water Center, and Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. Genoveva was appointed by Governor Brown to serve on the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley board and the Health Benefit Exchange Board for California (Covered CA). Genoveva currently serves as a Fresno Unified School District Board Member, representing Area 4 – the McLane Region.