California, United States
Executive Director, La Cocina
Leticia is the Executive Director of La Cocina, a nonprofit food business incubator supporting primarily immigrant women and women-of-color entrepreneurs. She joined La Cocina in 2008 as the organization’s third employee and was instrumental in its tremendous growth to a $7M operation and 26-person staff. Leticia co-developed La Cocina’s award-winning incubator program model that has cultivated 130+ food businesses and launched 40+ brick-and-mortar locations throughout the Bay Area. Under her leadership, La Cocina has received numerous awards, including “2023 California Nonprofit of the Year.” As the daughter of Mexican immigrants who started a business in the U.S., Leticia strongly believes in the transformative power of business ownership for women, immigrants, and people of color. Leticia serves on the board of the Magic Cabinet Foundation and is an advisor to The California Migration Museum and Kitchen Table Advisors. She holds an A.B. in Social Anthropology from Harvard University.
Rise Up Cohort: California, 2024