WHO WE ARE

Founder and President

Gavin is the Founder and President of EMPWR Arizona Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to combating childhood obesity by promoting Indigenous food traditions and sustainable practices. A sophomore in high school and a dedicated athlete, Gavin understands firsthand the vital role that nutrition plays in overall health, performance, and well-being. His passion for this issue deepened while volunteering at Native Health, where he saw that the biggest barrier for many families wasn’t a lack of knowledge, but a lack of access to nutritious foods. Through research, he uncovered how historical disruptions to Indigenous food systems contributed to today’s health disparities, particularly among Native American youth. Determined to make a difference, he founded EMPWR Arizona to restore food sovereignty, reconnect communities to traditional diets, and ensure that all children have the opportunity to thrive through proper nutrition.

Program Development Advisor

Thalia who is the Program Development Officer of EMPWR Arizona Inc. was born and raised on the Navajo reservation. She is of the Water Flows Together People (Tó’aheedlíínii) born for the Coyote Pass People (Naaneesht’ézhí Tábaahá). She was raised with a rich Navajo culture, herding sheep with her late maternal grandmother on her family’s homeland. The majority of her childhood she understood adaptation when it came to having limited running water, electricity, and learning to use variations of Navajo foods for family dinners, from her late mother. She began work in Phoenix, Arizona after high school, working corporate jobs, until she followed a calling to pursue her long-time fascination with scones. After culinary school she began her business, ‘Scone On?’ in 2019. Her business has managed to flourish during the pandemic and has made a name for herself as the “Scone Lady”. In recent years she has included various other pastries with corn as a prime ingredient. While she enjoys making pastries, she dabbled into speaking engagements and found that sharing her knowledge and preparing the youth is her growing passion. She has worked with schools on the reservation to encourage and instill Indigenous Food Sovereignty. She dedicated the majority of 2023-24 to bringing communities together, whether it be on the reservation, non-profit organizations, to national television. Her work here will continue normalizing Indigenous foods to tackle the many health crises among many generations before and after us.

Chief Financial Officer

Sebastian is the Chief Financial Officer of EMPWR Arizona Inc. and a student at the University of California, Berkeley, where he studies economics and applied mathematics. Passionate about education and community service, Sebastian has worked extensively with refugees through Of One Heart, where he coordinated a backpack drive and a summer reading program to support displaced youth. At EMPWR Arizona, Sebastian applies his analytical skills and commitment to equity to ensure the organization’s financial sustainability and growth, helping expand access to Indigenous food systems and nutrition education.

Chief Operating Officer

Isabel is the Chief Operating Officer of EMPWR Arizona Inc. and a student at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, where she studies marketing. Her dedication to food equity began with organizing a food drive in Cincinnati alongside her family, helping bridge the gap in food access for families during the summer break. At EMPWR Arizona, Isabel combines her leadership and marketing expertise to expand outreach, foster community partnerships, and drive initiatives that promote Indigenous food sovereignty and nutrition education.

Secretary

Denise serves as the Secretary of EMPWR Arizona Inc. She is a physician dedicated to women's health, breast cancer awareness, and community-driven health initiatives. She has been a prominent advocate for early breast cancer detection, frequently educating women on the importance of screenings through public speaking engagements. She understands the role of healthy diets in cancer prevention. Through EMPWR, she is eager to champion health equity, early cancer detection, and the transformative power of nutrition in disease prevention.