Katie Schmarje Crockett Amplifies Central Valley Data Culture

For Katie Schmarje Crockett, data has been a driving force throughout her career. Her path has taken her from a PhD dissertation studying HIV data trends and disease mitigation in Uganda to her current work advancing economic inclusion for Central Valley farmworkers. As CVCF’s Senior Data Analyst and Farm Food Future’s (F3’s) Senior Program Officer, Katie sees data not just as a tool, but as a means to understand and address injustice.

While completing her dissertation in rural Uganda, Katie studied how involving male partners in childcare affected health outcomes for women living with HIV and found that partner involvement improved those outcomes. The experience shaped how she thinks about her work today. "That was a life-changing time for me," Katie Schmarje Crockett, Ph.D. said. "Through my experiences and training in cultural competencies, I saw how analyzing data is applicable globally. Disease and health and wellness know no borders. I have come to learn that my training and skillsets can be applied in the Central Valley just as they were in Uganda."

Despite not living in the Central Valley, Katie feels intrinsically tied to the region. She grew up in a town near the Central Coast which, like Fresno, has a large agricultural workforce. While she does not have a personal background in agriculture, she grew up alongside kids whose parents farmed land they owned. “I don’t live in Fresno but feel like an honorary Fresnan; I see so much beauty there,” Katie said.

As F3’s Senior Program officer, Katie stewards and strategically allocates funds to establish the Central Valley as a thriving, inclusive ag-tech hub. While the Central Valley grows approximately 25% of the nation’s food supply, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), many of its residents face structural barriers to improving their own economic realities. One such project that supports local growers with technological advancements is the recently launched F3 Supercomputing Center at Fresno State. The center, created in partnership with Fresno State and the San Diego Supercomputer Center, offers free access for educational use and flexible, pay-as-you-go access for commercial use. Users can analyze agricultural data and other complex datasets and build and test new technologies without the burden of buying expensive hardware. Some people are wary of using AI in agriculture, but F3's philosophy is that technology should be used to empower local growers and farmworkers, not replace them. “With innovations such as supercomputing centers available, we in Fresno should utilize these opportunities to stay ahead of the curve and bring these state-of-the-art resources to our region,” Katie said.

In her role as Senior Data Analyst, Katie works on CVCF's Measurement and Evaluation team, where she supports program evaluation and data management for the Foundation's impact programs. One key resource from this work is the Data Dashboard, a publicly available tool that analyzes 28 metrics of upward mobility, such as education, health, and employment. Katie would love to see data from the Data Dashboard used by people and organizations that are moving the needle for greater inclusion in the Central Valley.

"When you are working to benefit a population, it's important to look at the population level," Katie said. "It's a proxy measurement for upward mobility." "In the world of data and research, these resources are hard to come across. It is such a great tool to resource our community. This data will tell this community where there are gaps and disparities. The fact it even exists is helping this area with writing grants," she said.

Katie sees the data dashboard’s value extending well beyond her own team. "There are many different audiences that can use this dashboard," Katie said. "We want to promote a data culture in the Central Valley, so how will we tell people to utilize data and then not provide a tool?" Katie has seen that shift play out directly in CVCF's programs. "We are able to tailor our programs to let the data inform our work," she said.

One piece of data that was heart-wrenching for Katie to discover was the racial disparity in juvenile arrest records. In 2023, Fresno County recorded nearly 6,367 arrests per 100,000 Black juveniles, compared to nearly 3,080 per 100,000 white juveniles, per the data dashboard. "I cannot look at that statistic and not have a physical visceral reaction," Katie said. "The racial disparity is wild, so what I hope is that the data dashboard educates people. All I can ask is that people are educated and made more aware. If someone does not believe there is a disparity in arrest rates between Black and white individuals, I want their eyes opened and to trigger a champion of advocacy work to uplift affected youth."

For Katie, resources like the Data Dashboard and the Supercomputing Center, are not just tools; they’re a call to action, one she hopes will lead more people in the Central Valley to seek understanding and pursue justice.

To explore the data dashboard, please visit www.fresnodrive.org/data/data-dashboard, and to learn more about F3’s impact, click here.