Team

Senior Advocate

Angeles Nelson (she/her)

Angeles, Senior Advocate, joined Nourish California as a board director in 2018.  She left the Board and joined the team as a staff member in 2019. Angeles specializes in advancing state policy that improves students’ access to healthy school meals and increases food access for immigrant Californians.

Angeles co-leads the Meals Count Team to develop resources, break down barriers, and identify potential state policy solutions to expand universal meal programs in CA. Angeles also conducts federal advocacy to preserve, protect, and improve access to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Angeles serves as Nourish California’s liaison to Spanish-speaking communities and media organizations to uplift immigrants’ voices and to advance mutual priorities.

Prior to joining Nourish California, Angeles worked as a community advocate and organizer in the community of Lemon Grove to create a vibrant community with opportunities, equity, and wellness for all through resident-led community projects, advocacy, collaboration, and leadership development. Angeles currently serves as President on the board of directors for the San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition. She is an appointed Community Advisory Commissioner for the Lemon Grove City Council, and she is a proud member of Kitchenistas.

When Angeles is not at work or volunteering in the community, she is a perpetual tourist in San Diego enjoying the sunny beaches with her four kids, her husband, and Daisy’s cheerful-golden paws.

Chief Engagement Officer

Betzabel Estudillo, MSW (she/her)

Betzabel, Chief Engagement Officer, joined Nourish California in 2020, spearheading our organizational vision toward ensuring equitable access to food. Betzabel provides strategic leadership in crafting and implementing engagement strategies, while also shaping the executive direction of our policies, practices, and processes.

Betzabel Estudillo has more than a decade of experience in immigration, health, and public benefits working in the non-profit and labor sector. Her areas of expertise include policy development and analysis, legislative and budget advocacy, coalition building, and community outreach. Betzabel’s personal history as a former undocumented immigrant who was shut out of critical safety net programs fuels her commitment to our mission and policy advocacy work. 

Before joining Nourish California, Betzabel was at the Miguel Contreras Foundation and the California Immigrant Policy Center. Betzabel is a proud double-Bruin, having earned both her Masters in Social Work and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California Los Angeles. 

In her free time, Betzabel enjoys solving Sudoku puzzles, listening to podcasts, drinking black coffee, and going on camping adventures with her family.

Communications Coordinator

Courtney Shojinaga (she/her)

Courtney, Communications Coordinator, joined Nourish California in 2022. She executes communications strategies and manages the social media channels for Nourish California to effectively uplift the voices of those we serve and share the important work we do to address systemic injustices that perpetuate hunger and food insecurity. 

Courtney attended the University of California, Los Angeles where she received her BA in Geography/Environmental Studies with a Food Studies minor. Prior to joining Nourish California, Courtney worked as a communications specialist and health educator at a few nonprofits based in Los Angeles. At these organizations, she advocated for equitable access to food, wellness and fair labor within local communities of color.

During her free time, Courtney enjoys drawing, checking out new coffee shops, and exercising.

Executive Director

George Manalo-LeClair (he/him)

George Manalo-LeClair (pronunciation) Executive Director, joined Nourish California in 1999.  George describes his role as ensuring that Nourish California has the “resources and relationships” needed to advance our mission.

George’s long career in advocacy has taken him from the streets to the seats of power.  He started as an organizer with the Alliance of the Streets and prior to joining Nourish California, he was the Legislative Director for the Children’s Alliance in Washington.  He has helped thousands of advocates find their voice in policy advocacy campaigns across four states and has raised his own voice in seats of power in several state capitals and in testimony before Congress.

Prior to becoming Executive Director in 2012, George led the successful campaigns to knock down persistent barriers to food stamps like fingerprinting, excessive paperwork, and the car rule. As a result of these efforts, he has helped bring more than $2 billion a year to fight hunger in California.  He was the driving force behind the transformation of the Food Stamp Program in California to CalFresh.  His early vision and persistent advocacy for paperless school meal enrollment has helped feed millions of students and created thousands of hunger-free schools in the state.

George has a Master’s Degree in Social Work and takes a personal and professional interest supporting new advocates.  Many of his former interns and supervisees continue in advocacy across the country and in all levels of government.

In his free time, George enjoys setting aside the macro problems of poverty and hunger for a moment to focus on problems that can be solved in a weekend, like plumbing leaks or broken furniture.  He loves to cook for a crowd. He thinks neckties are stupid.

Policy Advocate

Jackie Mendelson (she/her/they/them)

Jackie, Policy Advocate, first joined Nourish California in 2022 as a graduate student intern supporting the Food4All campaign – a movement to expand food benefits to all Californians, regardless of immigration status. She rejoined the team as a full-time staff member in 2023. Jackie co-leads the Food4All campaign and supports Nourish California’s ongoing work in reducing barriers to CalFresh. They also lead organizational advocacy efforts in alleviating food insecurity among LGBTQ+ communities across the state. 

Jackie brings years of direct experience with state-level food assistance programs. Prior to joining Nourish California, she managed programs at a farmers market nonprofit that increased community engagement and improved food access for low-income community members. She assisted in research with Californians experiencing food insecurity during the COVID-19 crisis and evaluated an empowerment and health literacy program for high school youth. She and her peers started a movement in Berkeley Public Health to address weight stigma in the field of public health. Most recently, she served in the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) bureau preparing CFAP to begin its historic implementation work by championing equity initiatives that center the lived experiences of California immigrants. 

Jackie first got her hands dirty in advancing food security in community gardens and urban farms of Tucson as a University of Arizona undergraduate. She holds a Masters of Public Health Nutrition with a Graduate Certificate in Food Systems from the University of California, Berkeley. 

In her free time, you can find Jackie hiking and backpacking, gardening, baking, and serving as a community builder in her Jewish community.

Senior Advocate

Kameron Mims-Jones, MSW (she/her)

Kameron Mims-Jones is a Senior Advocate with Nourish California, working at the intersection of food access and systemic change. Kameron leads two impactful campaigns- Thriving Transitions & Food With Care. She champions holistic solutions that address the root causes of community well-being. Before her tenure at Nourish California, Kameron navigated the complex landscape of social work within schools and substance use institutions. This experience unveiled the pivotal link between policy and an individual’s capacity to lead a self-determined life within just systems.

A proud alumna of UC Berkeley, where she earned her B.A. in Political Science, GO Bears! Her academic journey continued at Columbia School of Social Work, where she earned her Master of Social Work (MSW), honing her skills and passion for creating positive societal changes. 

Born and raised in Southern California, Kameron brings a unique perspective to her work, informed by the diverse tapestry of her upbringing. Kameron is a lifelong equestrian and a mother to a Junior Olympian in Track & Field.

Kameron’s journey is defined by a deep understanding of the intricate relationship between policy and personal autonomy. Her work at Nourish California is a testament to her dedication to dismantling barriers and fostering thriving communities. As a Senior Advocate, she continues to navigate the nuanced landscape of food access, advocating for systemic changes that empower individuals to lead lives of self-determination within equitable frameworks. Kameron is a member of the California Office of Health Equity Advisory Committee. 

Policy Advocate

Michelle Lee, MPH, RD (she/her)

Michelle, Policy Advocate, first joined Nourish California as the Sarah Samuels Public Health Policy Fellow in 2021 and rejoined the team as a full-time staff member in 2023. She supports the organization’s advocacy to ensure our state and federal safety nets meet the needs of Californians, and leads the development of our intersectional work around food security & climate justice, as well as access to food and other critical resources for communities facing language barriers.

Prior to joining Nourish California, Michelle worked directly with community members and partners to increase participation in CalFresh in Santa Cruz County. During the CalFresh to Supplemental Security Income expansion, she led her county’s efforts to facilitate the enrollment of historically excluded individuals into CalFresh. Michelle also partnered with Basic Needs teams from various California college campuses to improve food security for undergraduate and graduate students. As a fellow at Nourish California, she identified and helped close gaps in equitable access to CalFresh for families with newly born children. 

Michelle is a Registered Dietitian and holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley. She hopes to further ensure that programs and policies are inclusive and take into consideration people’s lived experiences, shared values, and cultural implications when making recommendations about food, nutrition, and well-being. 

In her free time, Michelle enjoys exploring ice cream shops, climbing, and playing piano.