Bianca Ustrell turns passion into career
By Justine Sanchez, September 22, 2026
Lopez Urban Farm announced Bianca Ustrell as its new executive director after 2.5 years of volunteering and serving as director of operations.
What started as a passion in food justice has since turned into a career. And as the new executive director, Ustrell said she now has the space to be more intentional with her work. She is focusing on how Lopez Urban Farm grows, how she makes decisions and building leadership across the organization.
Growing up, Ustrell said she saw how hard it was to navigate community resources, seeing how her family relied on food banks and welfare options.
Once she felt stable enough in her personal life, she said she made it a goal to return back to her hometown in Pomona to make resources more accessible to the public. Ustrell stated she wanted to care of the land her community lives on, which is what encouraged her the most to start volunteering at Lopez Urban Farm.
“When I first started working at the farm, my dreams were pretty easy to see,” Ustrell said. “It was us providing food for free, art workshops for free, community engagement, all these things without barriers. And now that we’ve reached that goal, I find myself in a place where I’m dreaming even farther ahead of that, which is something I didn’t expect to do.”
Although Ustrell was unsure about where this position would take her in life, she decided to take a leap and shared what a huge honor it has been so far, claiming she can’t imagine life without the work she does.
Stephen Yorba, the previous director who is now the director of agriculture and education, shared his memories of his first meeting with Ustrell. Yorba said it was unique to see someone who goes out of their way to help provide mutual aid for the unhoused community.
“I think one thing that Bianca possesses is the willingness to do the hard work when a lot of other people might not have that ambition and the willingness to put in the hard work, not for personal gain or benefit, but because it’s the right thing to do,” Yorba said.
Something Ustrell hopes to bring with her into this position is more space for group leadership amongst board members to strengthen each department. Ustrell emphasized how important it is to have a system of operation in place.
Alicia Valle, board member and manager of the butterfly garden, shared that Ustrell has always taken in the criticism, good or bad, and has listened to the recommendations people have to make this space a place fit for everyone.
“I admire her so much,” Valle said. “The work and what she has done to get to this position is very inspiring.”
Ustrell said it’s best to think of Lopez Urban Farm as a park that grows food. The farm spans 3.5 acres and is powered by a partnership with Pomona Unified School District.
There are also two market pods, one of which has free clothing and hygiene and the other being the Pomona fridge, which consists of a grocery and pet food pantry. A market pod is a physical hub used to distribute goods, local produce or provide community services. Both pods are run with it’s guiding philosophy of “take what you need and pay what you can.”
Ustrell emphasized the importance of restoring a sense of dignity to the experience. Compared to standing in a line and receiving predetermined items, Lopez Urban Farm want to create an atmosphere of a traditional shopping experience.
“I really think that our alternative economy of paying what you can and taking what you need must stay in place,” Ustrell said. “It’s at the heart of our work, and I think that’s something that I’m always going to do my best to make sure never changes.”
According to FoodPrint, food justice is a holistic and structural view of the food system that sees healthy food as a human right and addresses structural barriers to that right.
Lopez Urban Farm has not only partnered with Pomona Unified School District since the beginning but has also worked with Cal Poly Pomona fellows for the past four years, who volunteer to help run these pods during the week. This internship also allows students to learn more about food and how to farm in a larger capacity.
Lopez Urban Farm is successful in providing resources to families and students in the community because of these partnerships, according to Ustrell.
Ustrell shared how important it was to her, as she moves forward in this position, to remain flexible while also holding onto her values. A goal of Ustrell’s is to bring new ideas while also making sure each change aligns with Lopez Urban Farm’s mission, which is “guided by an alternative economy based on mutual aid and shared abundance, we strive to create a thriving future where everyone has access to land, knowledge, and wellness.”
Another goal of hers is to strengthen the farm’s wellness program by helping discover new artistic and interesting ways of bringing more wellness resources to the community such as mental health events and resources. For example, they have recently partnered with Tri-City mental health after being awarded a community wellness grant which helps fund these events.
Ustrell emphasized how important it is to provide a space for community members to hold, create and attend a variety of events without having to open their wallets.
Lopez Urban Farm aims to plan one big event a week from night markets, sound baths, poetry events, gardening classes and, for the first time, an improv group.
“I think that communities like ours really appreciate organizations that work alongside them so that way people can actually get what they need versus getting what’s given to them,” Ustrell said. “I think Pomona really appreciates that, and I think Pomona thrives on that.”
Ustrell said the contributions and activeness from the community has helped Lopez Urban Farm drive its mission forward and said it hopes to see a continued increase in all areas such as funding, support from institutions and overall sustainability.
