Oakland Food Policy Council

Esperanza Pallana is Coordinator of the Oakland Food Policy Council (OFPC). Esperanza brings over ten years experience in nonprofit administration to the OFPC. Esperanza’s professional focus is in social movements in urban landscapes. She studied biology and urban studies as an undergrad at San Francisco State University. She holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco. For nearly a decade, Esperanza has kept an urban farm in Oakland where she practices and preserves her traditional foodways. Writing on her experience can be found online at Pluck & Feather. More recently, Esperanza co-founded the East Bay Urban Agriculture Alliance. She is an active and vocal participant in creating a healthy and just food system in Oakland.

Food First Staff
510-654-4400

Food First serves as the incubator organization for the Oakland Food Policy Council.

Food First’s Executive Director, Operations Officer, Administrative Assistant, and Development Director contribute some of their time to the OFPC.

Food First Interns
oaklandfood (at) foodfirst.org

An impressive team of Food First interns is helping the OFPC with research, event planning, fundraising, and strategic planning:

Current Interns:

• Alejandra Cano
• Danielle Nahal
• Agnes Walton

Past Interns:

• Marissa Shulruff
• Teleri Fielden
• Jaime Hamre
• Bernalyn Ruiz
• Jennifer Pierce
• Ana Diaz
• Lia Irene Mezzio
• Lee St. Pierre
• Jennifer Zeller
• Alexandra Hudson
• Beth Sanders
• Colleen Lynch
• Dwight Hobbs
• Evan O'Donnell
• Kate Grace
• Jamie Nash
• Alexandria Fisher
• NeEddra James
• Autif Kamal
• Elisa Oceguera
• Mandy Workman
• Sophie Turrell
• Ashly Wolf
• Frances Lambrick
• Ingrid Budrovich
• Polly Clare-Roth
• Asiya Wadud
• Amanda El-Khoury
• Chris Henrick
• Mihir Mankad
• Natalia Margolis
• Teresa Shellmon
• Ellen Tyler