Kat Vang

Kat is a UC Davis graduate with a BS in sustainable agriculture and food systems. Her current research explores cultural food identities in immigrant communities, economic drivers of food insecurity, food equity, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and self-determined capacity building. Her commitment to food equity, regenerative farming, and social justice is informed by her Hmong diaspora heritage and experience as an off-the-grid, regenerative farmer. She is inspired by the will of resilient action and believes in the power of collective dedication.

Field placement: Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

Kat worked with the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, to draft an economic development framework that addressed vulnerability to poverty and building community wealth. In being tasked to create a unifying language for this framework and its programs, Kat's efforts included shifting organizational narratives and methodologies so that shared prosperity, equity, and care are focal points of their work. Kat's work challenged the food bank to be more reflective and moved them towards greater accountability to their clients and stakeholders.

Policy placement: Association for Enterprise Opportunity

Hunger Free Community Report

"Exploring Social Justice-Oriented Evaluations" is an exploration into the potential of evaluations to support social change efforts and enact social justice, this paper critically examines evaluations and demonstrates how 3 types of social justice-oriented evaluation approaches have repurposed the role, influence, and power embedded in evaluations to deepen the participant’s role in deciding evaluative outcomes.

Publications & Blog Posts