MariaElena Alvarado-Rodriguez
Food Systems Research and Strategy Consultant
(she, her, ella)
Based in both Fajardo, Puerto Rico, and Sonoma County, California, MariaElena is a Queer femme cultural worker, human-centered operations executive, community-accountable researcher, and food systems consultant with over nineteen years of experience using food as a vehicle to build vibrant, just communities. She considers her life’s work to be fostering food systems that honor intergenerational ancestral cultural knowledge, center BIPOC communities, nourish the environment, and deepen Queer community.
Since 2018 MariaElena has supported DAISA's field-building research projects, internal culture development, operations, community of practice development, CBO capacity-building, and client strategy assistance. 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. A first-generation college graduate, MariaElena holds a Master’s in Community Development from the University of California Davis and a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Washington, Seattle. She is a 2025 Aspen Institute Food Leaders Fellow and an alumna of Soul Fire Farm BIPOC Immersion, Proyecto Agroecológico El Josco Bravo, and the Rockwood Leadership Institute. A lover of learning languages, MariaElena speaks and dreams in English, Spanish, and Italian.
Selected Publications [Find Maria Elena on Google Scholar!]
Food Systems Research and Strategy Consultant
(she, her, ella)
Based in both Fajardo, Puerto Rico, and Sonoma County, California, MariaElena is a Queer femme cultural worker, human-centered operations executive, community-accountable researcher, and food systems consultant with over nineteen years of experience using food as a vehicle to build vibrant, just communities. She considers her life’s work to be fostering food systems that honor intergenerational ancestral cultural knowledge, center BIPOC communities, nourish the environment, and deepen Queer community.
Since 2018 MariaElena has supported DAISA's field-building research projects, internal culture development, operations, community of practice development, CBO capacity-building, and client strategy assistance. 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. A first-generation college graduate, MariaElena holds a Master’s in Community Development from the University of California Davis and a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Washington, Seattle. She is a 2025 Aspen Institute Food Leaders Fellow and an alumna of Soul Fire Farm BIPOC Immersion, Proyecto Agroecológico El Josco Bravo, and the Rockwood Leadership Institute. A lover of learning languages, MariaElena speaks and dreams in English, Spanish, and 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)
