Paula Balbontin

Produce Prescription Manager at the Nutrition Incentive Hub

As Produce Prescription Manager at the Nutrition Incentive Hub, Paula works at the intersection of food and health, supporting the design, implementation, and evaluation stages of projects nurturing a culture of “food as medicine” across the country.

Paula’s career began ten years ago at a nascent innovation center in Chile where she coached a group of 20 food entrepreneurs on topics like business development and strategic planning. Her passion for food and agriculture led her to UC Davis in 2014, where she trained agricultural entrepreneurs on projects tackling food insecurity and environmental challenges. Prior to joining Fair Food Network, Paula worked at Urban Harvest, a nonprofit operating a mobile farmers market and the Double Up Houston nutrition incentive program. During her time at this organization, she formalized a data-driven approach to effectively measure and communicate the impact of this organization to local partners and funders and led all aspects of grant management from research and proposal development to tracking and reporting.

Paula’s work as an advocate of sustainable food systems is inspired by her memories growing up at a farm in Chile and her visits to the local farmers market with her mom and sisters. Today, Paula and her husband are aspiring market gardeners in Texas and spend as much time outdoors as possible with their high-spirited dog, Huilo. Paula holds an MS in international agricultural development from UC Davis and a MS in innovation and entrepreneurship from the Adolfo Ibañez School of Business.