Born and raised in Los Angeles, Emerita Flores has spent more than 20 years creating opportunities for young people through expanded learning and food access. While studying Social and Behavioral Sciences at California State University, Fullerton, Emerita began her nonprofit career with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove in 2005. She was promoted to Director of Expanded Learning Services and Director of Compliance for meal programs, serving in leadership roles until 2019. In 2019, Emerita co-founded Impact LA, a nonprofit providing free meals, educational programming, and community resources across Los Angeles. In 2025, Impact LA served more than 284,000 meals across 50 sites and rescued more than 1.1 million pounds of food. After years of working to ensure young people had access to food, Emerita’s relationship with growing food deepened when she discovered Chicas Verdes in 2020. Through gardening alongside students, she developed a personal passion for growing food and a deeper understanding of gardens as spaces for learning, connection, and community change. Today, as Program Director at Chicas Verdes, Emerita oversees the development and implementation of school-based programs, supporting staff, educators, and school communities as they build sustainable systems for youth-led environmental action. Outside of work, Emerita enjoys gardening, creating art, traveling, camping, reading, learning, and spending time with loved ones.