I38A7022
Milken Scholar 2012
Scholar Profile

Vaneshia Reed

Entrepreneurship

Biography

A public affairs consultant turned chef, Vaneshia is deeply passionate about helping to build a world in which everyone has access to food that is delicious, nutritious, sustainable, and culturally and financially accessible. An aspiring agrifood tech investor, she aims to draw on her strategy and culinary skills to back agrifood tech companies that are working towards this future of food, with investments rooted in equity.

A social justice advocate at heart, Vaneshia spent the first few years of her career in public affairs working to move policy and practice towards fairness and justice for children and marginalized communities. In the Office of the Superintendent of the LA Unified School District, she managed strategic partnerships and helped secure over $40 million in resources for students. She has completed the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs and the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship, interned with Congressman Charles Rangel, and published policy recommendations on foster care reform. She spent the year after college living in Salvador, Bahia researching how Brazilians understand and combat structural racism.

Driven by a long held passion, Vaneshia most recently embarked on a culinary exploration, where she worked as a line cook for a James Beard finalist, produced food events in Harvard’s Pforzheimer House, and earned a culinary certificate. She also completed a farm-to-table culinary apprenticeship in Tuscany and a temple food program in South Korea. She is excited by the possibilities in the agrifood tech space, where her passions and industry skills intersect, and is currently completing fellowships with Alumni Ventures and FoodFutureCo to learn about venture capital and scaling agrifood startups.

Vaneshia speaks Spanish and Portuguese and enjoys reading, yoga, music, and travel.


High school:  Middle College High School

Degrees

College Year Degree
Harvard College
Cambridge, MA
2016 B.A. History of Science