Cassidie Carmen Bates is a public policy professional who is coming to Sanford after five years in non-profit leadership. Beginning in 2019, Cassidie led the Advocacy & Government Affairs team at a Feeding America-network Food Bank that serves over 18 California counties. She is passionate about ensuring that effective public policy is informed by those who are impacted by the policies themselves, and in her previous role, designed community-based programs to incorporate this “lived expertise” model into each phase of the legislative advocacy process. Cassidie is an alumna of the University of California, Berkeley in Legal Studies and a former Public Policy & International Affairs (PPIA) Fellow at the Goldman School of Public Policy. Originally from Reno, Nevada, Cassidie grew up competing in downhill ski racing and loves to travel. Cassidie is working towards her goal of visiting all 50 states, each National Park, and each continent – she’s more than halfway there for all three travel goals!