Patience Kabwasa

Patience Kabwasa is the Executive Director of Food to Power, a non-profit whose mission is to cultivate a more equitable food system in the greater Colorado Springs region. As a leader and community advocate, Kabwasa is passionate about economic justice, food justice, health equity and land access, education, and criminal justice transformation. She has more than 15 years of experience partnering and organizing with communities to build and maintain community gardens, improve community safety, make policy recommendations to the Board of Education for Colorado Springs School District 11, increase fresh food access, advocate for affordable housing and houseless solutions, and increase voter registration and turnout.

Since 2019, Kabwasa has served on the board of directors for the Citizen’s Project, a Colorado Springs-based non-profit which empowers and challenges its community to embrace equity, inclusion, and justice. Kabwasa has also served the community in various capacities through volunteer work in many different organizations whose focus is to amplify the voices of those who are most at risk for neglect.

She is a Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa, Colorado College. She is also a community food equity educator and has been a guest speaker at conferences such as SXSW, the 2024 ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit, the Pikes Peak Foodshed Forum, and Forward Food Summit. She is a 2018 LiveWell Colorado Community Impact Champion; a 2018 graduate of the Center for Creative Leadership training; a 2019 Aspen Ideas Health Scholar; a 2021-21 Civico Governor’s Fellow; a 2022 Creative Leadership Institute Alum; and a 2022 Colorado Springs Business Journal Champion in Advocacy.