Vanessa Maria Cruz

ScratchWorks Program Manager

I was born and raised in a Texas border town – McAllen. I come from a full house with my three brothers, sister, mom, dad, and grandparents. My grandma’s struggle with chronic illness inspired me to pursue a Bachelor’s of Science in Nutrition at the University of Texas, Austin. After graduating, I decided to continue my education and earned a Master’s in Public Health at University of Texas, Houston, while also completing a dietetic internship. My favorite dietetic rotation was at a small school district where I worked closely with the school food director for 8 weeks. My childhood and my education developed a passion for food and for helping people live healthier through nutrition in a way that makes sense for them. I was lucky to start my career at Whole Kids Foundation (now called Whole Foods Market Foundation), where I was deeply involved in programming that I love and where I was most satisfied when designing and executing programs for ScratchWorks. Contact me at vanessa@wearescratchworks.org.