Daniel O’Connell is Executive Director of the Central Valley Partnership, a regional progressive network spanning the southern San Joaquin Valley. He has a Master of Science in International Agricultural Development from the University of California at Davis and a doctoral degree in Adult and Extension Education from Cornell University. The focus of his scholarship has emphasized community development practice, a critical historical and socio-economic analysis of the San Joaquin Valley, and the role of scholars working as change agents in confronting unjust institutional structures and in support of marginalized communities. Previously he worked as the first Farmland Conservation Director of the southern San Joaquin Valley with Sequoia Riverlands Trust, as San Joaquin Valley Program Manager with American Farmland Trust, and Co-Director of Food Commons Fresno.