Esperanza Vielma
Esperanza Vielma is one of California’s leading community leaders on issues related to environmental and social equity. The executive director if the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, Esperanza has led efforts to the fragile ecosystem of California’s Delta, served as chair of the Environmental Justice Advisory Group for the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, and most recently to assist in vaccinating underserved communities across the Central Valley.
Additionally, Esperanza Vielma is the executive director of Café Coop, a non-profit cooperative incubator business for social entrepreneurs, free-lancers, and artists in Stockton, which she founded in 2014. Through Café Coop, she also promotes San Joaquin County in Silicon Valley to attract tech entrepreneurs to the Delta region.
Ms. Vielma earned a double Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Chicano Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1991. During her undergraduate years, she was a Woodrow Wilson Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow at the University of Texas, Austin, in 1990.
Ms. Vielma has been active in local economic development and environmental justice efforts in Stockton and northern San Joaquin Valley.