Summer Cortez joined the Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources on April 26, 2023 as a project policy analyst. She will serve as the new CalFresh Healthy Living Evaluation Unit manager, to support evaluation of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education in partnership with the California Department of Public Health and local health departments. Summer received a master's degree in community development from UC Davis, where she focused her studies on strategies to enhance regional food system resilience in the face of disasters. Her professional background is in program management, and she has spent the last seven years leading community education projects in land stewardship, nutrition and food literacy.