Claudia Mendoza Chávez
Senior Specialist, Water Program
Work
Areas of expertise:
Environmental justice, social justice, groundwater policy, community organizing, stakeholder engagement, collaborative governance, community resilience planning
Description
Claudia Mendoza Chávez leads the work of the Water Leadership Institute (WLI) in California with community partners. While the current focus of this work is on the Salinas Valley and the San Joaquin Valley, the Water Leadership Institute brings place-based water education and connections to communities facing a variety of water issues. Through partnerships with other local community organizations, the Water Leadership Institute provides a space for communities to share their concerns about water and find feasible steps to get involved in the water decision-making process.
Background
Born and raised in Michoacán, México, Claudia has spent the past 15 years living, studying and working in California’s Central Valley. After graduating from CSU Stanislaus with a BA in anthropology, she moved to Santa Barbara to pursue a Master/PhD track in Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara. Her current research focuses on groundwater policy in California, specifically the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and stakeholder engagement dynamics, including the Water Leadership Institute (WLI). As an alumna of the WLI from the Delta-Mendota cohort in 2024, Claudia continued to follow the trajectory of WLI until taking her current role with EDF. Her focus on activist and applied anthropology shows through her work with EDF and the Water Leadership Institute.
Education
- B.A. Anthropology, CSU Stanislaus
- M.A. Anthropology, UC Santa Barbara