WASHINGTON– Equitable Food Initiative is proud to welcome Ana Luisa “Lulu” Rivera Collazo in the newly created position of workforce development specialist. Rivera Collazo will be responsible for training EFI leadership teams in workplace collaboration and problem-solving skills.
Rivera Collazo is no stranger to EFI and has been training on EFI farms since 2016 prior to joining the staff as a full-time facilitator in late 2019. Her full-time hire comes at a critical growth period for EFI as it begins to build capacity and expand to more farms across North, Central and South America. EFI facilitators have already trained leadership teams on 57 farms with workforces totaling more than 35,000 farmworkers.
Gretta Siebentritt, director of workforce development at EFI, remarked, “Lulu’s dedication to her work and her exceptional skills in facilitation and building leadership teams is a valuable skill set so we’re very glad to have her on board full time. Her experience is well-suited to help our growing number of farm operations looking to train and develop strong leadership teams.”
Beyond her work at EFI, Rivera Collazo has farming in her DNA. Having been raised on a family farm on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, she quickly grew attached to nature and agriculture, which led her to earn a bachelor’s degree in education with an emphasis in outdoor recreation. Her work experience is extensive, with roles as outdoor educator, facilitator and community organizer where she assisted groups in developing strong, healthy relationships and building thriving communities.
Today Rivera Collazo resides in San Diego with her partner and three children, though her heart will always be in her native Puerto Rico. She enjoys spending free time practicing art in various forms, including sculpture. After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, Rivera Collazo dedicated time to climate resiliency and disaster relief in the Caribbean islands.
About EFI
Equitable Food Initiative is a nonprofit certification and skill-building organization that seeks to increase transparency in the food supply chain and improve the lives of farmworkers through a team-based approach to training and continuous improvement practices. EFI brings together growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumers to solve the most pressing issues facing the fresh produce industry. Its unparalleled approach sets standards for labor practices, food safety and pest management while engaging workers at all levels on the farm to produce Responsibly Grown, Farmworker Assured® fruits and vegetables. For more information about Equitable Food Initiative, visit www.equitablefood.org.
View a list of EFI-certified farms at https://equitablefood.org/efi-certified-farms/.
