Dear Farm Friends,
After a search that began in June, we are excited to announce that as of December 1 we welcome Alfredo Hernández as Friends of Alemany Farm’s first ever executive director. In this role, Alfredo will work closely with Farm Director Abby Bell and our core volunteer advisory board to help us bring our programming, community engagement, and financial stability to the next level.
A recent transplant from Southern California, Alfredo brings rich and varied experience in community and government relations, project management, community organizing, and nonprofit administration to this new position. Most recently, he managed his own government and community relations consulting practice, assisting his clients with securing municipal contracts and navigating through and cutting bureaucratic red tape.
Previously, Alfredo served as executive director of the Hollywood Media District Business Improvement District (BID) where under the direction of the board of directors he managed a $1.9m budget, handled the day-to-day operations of the BID, oversaw capital improvement projects, negotiated contracts, and supervised a team of 25 people.
Alfredo’s nonprofit experience includes work as project manager at the Friends of the Hollywood Central Park (FHCP), where he managed relationships with municipal, state, and federal government officials and cultivated support from political, neighborhood, environmental and labor groups from across Los Angeles for the project.
Previously, he was a community organizer for the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust where he built diverse coalitions throughout the City, and oversaw the planning, funding, construction and operation of parks in low-income park-deprived communities. He additionally honed his political skills while serving as the political outreach manager for the Afriat Consulting Group, a small boutique lobbying firm in Los Angeles, where he oversaw all campaigns, fundraising and community engagement for the firm. Alfredo also co-founded the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council and held multiple positions within the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Recreation and Parks for more than a decade.
Alfredo was a founding board member of the Hollywood Network Coalition, a broad-based coalition of residents, business, educational institutions, and nonprofits working together to improve Hollywood, and he currently serves as board secretary with the Immersive Arts Collective, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing artistic avenues in underserved communities in the Los Angeles area. He has also served as a guest lecturer at the University of San Diego, where he discussed contentious issues such as poverty, diversity and racism.
A native of Los Angeles, Alfredo recently relocated to the Bay Area and enjoys working on his urban homestead, hiking, collecting antique dishes and cookware and playing with his two cats.
“I am humbled to have been chosen to lead Friends of Alemany Farm in its next major phase of growth,” said Alfredo upon being selected as executive director.
We are looking forward to welcoming Alfredo to San Francisco, to Alemany Farm and the urban agriculture community, and to the entire team of staff and volunteers at Friends of Alemany Farm. We hope that many of you will have a chance to meet him in the coming months!