Maria Elena Alvarado-Rodriguez
VP of Research and Culture
(she, her, ella)
Based in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, Maria Elena has over seventeen years of experience using food as a vehicle to build vibrant, healthy communities. In her role as VP of Research & Culture, Maria Elena directs DAISA's field-building research and equitable evaluation initiatives, in addition to leading DAISA internal culture development and operations.
Since joining DAISA in 2018, Maria Elena has conducted multiple national research projects, provided strategic assistance to clients, planned large-scale gatherings, convened communities of practice, and supported capacity-building of food systems organizations across the US and Puerto Rico. Internally at DAISA, Maria Elena has led the development of a democratic decision-making body and committee structure. This effort has increased company transparency and trust, fostered employee leadership and engagement, and led to the adoption of multiple internal policies that reinforce DAISA’s values-based company culture.
Previously, she has led initiatives in food justice community organizing, food access expansion, farmers’ market development, food entrepreneurship, and has supported small-scale sustainable farmers in Washington State, California, Florida, Italy, and Puerto Rico.
Maria Elena is trained in Community-Based Participatory Research Methodologies (UC Berkeley CHUM) and views participatory research as an important tool for narrative change and collective liberation. Maria Elena is committed to creating a food system that honors ancestral cultural knowledge, uplifts BIPOC communities, nourishes the environment, and deepens Queer community.
Maria Elena is proud to be a 2025 Food and Society at Aspen Institute Food Leaders Fellow - a prestigious program that unites early-stage leaders dedicated to transforming the food system, fostering personal growth, cross-sector collaboration, and scalable solutions for a fair and sustainable food future. She is also an alumna of Soul Fire Farm BIPOC Immersion, Proyecto Agroecológico El Josco Bravo, and the Rockwood Leadership Institute. Maria Elena collaborates in her local community with El Departamento de la Comida de Puerto Rico and Alacena Feminista del Este.
BA Environmental Studies, University of Washington, Seattle. MS Community Development, University of California, Davis. Trilingual: English, Spanish, Italian.
Selected Publications [Find Maria Elena on Google Scholar!]
VP of Research and Culture
(she, her, ella)
Based in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, Maria Elena has over seventeen years of experience using food as a vehicle to build vibrant, healthy communities. In her role as VP of Research & Culture, Maria Elena directs DAISA's field-building research and equitable evaluation initiatives, in addition to leading DAISA internal culture development and operations.
Since joining DAISA in 2018, Maria Elena has conducted multiple national research projects, provided strategic assistance to clients, planned large-scale gatherings, convened communities of practice, and supported capacity-building of food systems organizations across the US and Puerto Rico. Internally at DAISA, Maria Elena has led the development of a democratic decision-making body and committee structure. This effort has increased company transparency and trust, fostered employee leadership and engagement, and led to the adoption of multiple internal policies that reinforce DAISA’s values-based company culture.
Previously, she has led initiatives in food justice community organizing, food access expansion, farmers’ market development, food entrepreneurship, and has supported small-scale sustainable farmers in Washington State, California, Florida, Italy, and Puerto Rico.
Maria Elena is trained in Community-Based Participatory Research Methodologies (UC Berkeley CHUM) and views participatory research as an important tool for narrative change and collective liberation. Maria Elena is committed to creating a food system that honors ancestral cultural knowledge, uplifts BIPOC communities, nourishes the environment, and deepens Queer community.
Maria Elena is proud to be a 2025 Food and Society at Aspen Institute Food Leaders Fellow - a prestigious program that unites early-stage leaders dedicated to transforming the food system, fostering personal growth, cross-sector collaboration, and scalable solutions for a fair and sustainable food future. She is also an alumna of Soul Fire Farm BIPOC Immersion, Proyecto Agroecológico El Josco Bravo, and the Rockwood Leadership Institute. Maria Elena collaborates in her local community with El Departamento de la Comida de Puerto Rico and Alacena Feminista del Este.
BA Environmental Studies, University of Washington, Seattle. MS Community Development, University of California, Davis. Trilingual: English, Spanish, Italian.
Selected Publications [Find Maria Elena on Google Scholar!]
- Research Report | Innovations & Barriers: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Leadership in the Produce Prescription Field (Fall 2023)
- Community Toolkit | FED Community Workbook for Produce Prescription Programs (Summer 2023)
- Research Report | Produce Prescription Programs US Field Scan Report: 2010-2020 (April 2021)
- Creative Essay | Borikén: I Can Hear Her Breathing (2021)
- Book Chapter | From Happy Meals to Celebrity Chefs: Shifting Attitudes towards Mothers and Traditional Food in Puerto Rico (2021)
- Research Report | Cultivating Creativity: Exploring Arts & Culture in Community Food Systems Transformation (2019)
