Katherine Menendez is a dedicated first-generation Indigenous researcher and communications specialist with a strong foundation in community-engaged scholarship, youth empowerment, and equitable program development. 

Over the past several years, she has led and contributed to a wide range of community-based research projects across California, including the K-20 YPAR Evaluation, Yolo County Basic Income Initiative, and Fresno’s Handle with Care Plus+ program. Her expertise includes qualitative interviewing, participatory research methods, accessible reporting, and the design of youth-led evaluation models. She has also played a vital role in facilitating cross-sector collaboration between researchers, educators, community organizations, and youth leaders. Her work on UCCE CalFresh YPAR initiative included technical assistance for the research approach, working through federal guidelines and the creation of ADA accessible reports. 

In her roles at the UC Davis Center for Regional Change and other interdisciplinary institutes, Katherine has supported program design, academic writing, and the creation of public-facing communications—ranging from interactive websites and newsletters to stakeholder reports and visual media. She is bilingual in English and Spanish and deeply committed to amplifying youth and community voice through creative, justice-centered research. She joined the center, as the Program Coordinator, in 2020. With a background Communication & Statistics and emphasis in ethnographic practices, she appreciates community-based research and working alongside other communities. 

She has completed work like Historias de Familias, a project that recorded Mexican families' existence in Yolo County to put into the Records at the Yolo County Library. She has worked as a Mentor for Alumni360, a Los Angeles college-bound program for youth in marginalized communities. She also has worked with migrant youth in Davis, CA at Marguerite Montgomery Elementary School for the Summer BRIDGE program. 

Connect with Katherine on her LinkedIn.