LOS ANGELES -- Dec. 1, 2012 -- Alliant International University’s Center for Innovation and Change (CIC) won a two-year, $40,000 contract for California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA). The contract will support the Los Angeles CalFresh Initiative of the CFPA in assessing its efforts at increasing CalFresh utilization through community-wide efforts over the next two years. CalFresh gives young children, particularly from lower-income families, in the Los Angeles area more access to healthy food.

The Center for Innovation and Change (CIC) is student-faculty consulting center located on Alliant’s Los Angeles campus. It is part of the California School of Professional Psychology’s organizational psychology program and run by Associate Professor Denise Lopez, PhD.

CIC will help CFPA become more effective through business and advocacy process improvements. CIC student consultants will attend and observe CFPA meetings, interview various stakeholders, analyze data and provide recommendations for needs assessment and process evaluation measures.

This project will provide many of Alliant’s graduate students with opportunities to practice organizational consulting and applied research work, earn paid internship hours and be mentored by CIC faculty advisers, all while helping their local community.

Learn more about the project and its origins on the CSPP Dean’s Blog.