Sonya Jones, PhD, is Executive Director of Caja Solidaria and a member of the backbone support team for the NC Food is Medicine Coalition. A nutrition researcher, educator, and food-systems leader based in Southern Appalachia, she has spent more than 25 years working at the intersection of food access, health, and community-led systems change.

 

At Caja Solidaria, Sonya works alongside farmers, healthcare partners, and community organizations to build hyper-local food systems that connect locally grown food with healthcare, shared infrastructure, and sustainable financing. She also teaches at Appalachian State University and serves on the board of Blue Ridge Health. Her current work focuses on Food is Medicine, rural health, and developing financing models that keep resources and decision-making power rooted in communities.