Honoring leaders whose contributions are shaping California’s future — not just its past
“If you center people, everything else will be OK.” – Dr. Cassandra Little
In the Central Valley, environmental and economic challenges, such as air quality, extreme heat, and access to opportunity, shape daily life for residents- especially those in Fresno County.
Community leadership here is not abstract; it is personal, practical, and essential.
And it is nurtured by people like Dr. Cassandra Little, whose continued work in the Central Valley is rooted not in programs, but in people.
With a doctorate in counseling educational psychology and a master’s in social work, Dr. Little established CARE Consulting and Coaching as a means to empower her community through education and encouragement. Dr. Little has 27 years of experience working in both child welfare and as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of her own business.
We first introduced you to Dr. Little in 2024; she is the Executive Director of the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce and CEO of Biz-Werx, a community-based organization in Fresno created to help people reach the jobs, services, and opportunities that move them forward.
Whatever I do, I focus on people — faces, families, and communities.
This is the “why” behind Dr. Little’s work— and it’s deeply personal.
Growing up in East Palo Alto in the 1970s, Dr. Little remembers a self-reliant Black community. Local spaces such as co-ops, barbershops, laundromats, and candy shops were built on mutual support and collective strength. And even as she recognized that the broader systems around them were never designed for her community, she persevered through them.
I grew up in an era where we had a co-op. I watched my grandmother share her space, share her person. So that’s what I’m rooted in.
That experience shaped her.
I learned at a young age that even though talent can be universal, opportunities were not.
Today, those lessons drive her advocacy — especially when it comes to policy. Dr. Little speaks candidly about the importance of recognizing how policies can either uplift Black and Brown communities or create socio-economic barriers.
We contain all kinds of programs, but if we don’t understand policy — and how policy creates barriers — then we can’t strategize to remove them.
Her work has always emphasized collective progress over competition. In spaces where resources can feel scarce, she puts collaboration first.
I won’t do any grants now unless it’s with the collective. It’s richer that way. And it lasts longer.
This philosophy guides her leadership, both at the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce and at Biz-Werx.
Through investments from state and local partners, including the California Strategic Growth Council’s Transformative Climate Communities Program, Biz-Werx — a community-centered mobility program — offers affordable electric vehicle (EV) rentals and EV industry certification programs to residents — expanding Fresno’s access to essential services and job training while reducing emissions.
There’s different organizations here, and it's not perfect, but they can win collectively and find a way to have a collective voice.
But even with statewide support, she is clear: The community must lead.
To me, resources created for the community should be pioneered by the community. That’s how you get longevity. That’s how you get trust.
She is clear-eyed about the many challenges facing the Central Valley — including unsafe drinking water, extreme heat, lack of infrastructure, and housing shortages.
The valley has had the biggest needs and quite often gets the least amount of resources. When it comes to funding opportunities for the whole valley, just make sure that they're in the conversation.
When asked how people within and outside of the community can get involved, Dr. Little emphasizes the value of staying rooted in collective voice.
If you can’t do much, that’s fine. Just don’t be a barrier. Amplify the work that’s already happening.
Her message is both grounded and urgent. Environmental health disparities — from higher cancer rates to pollution exposure — are lived realities.
My grandfather used to say, ‘Who said it was going to be easy?' It’s a tough journey, but it’s worth it.
Dr. Little’s impact reminds us that environmental justice is strongest when it is led by the people closest to challenges — and supported by partners committed to listening.
Her story is not about programs. It’s about perseverance. It’s about community. It’s about self-reliance balanced with smart investment. It’s about education — and innovating new systems to finally reflect who they are meant to serve.
My mission is to build pathways and to educate communities. There's so much more than money that you can give to people or communities, right? And so that's it, to build pathways to power, ownership, and opportunity for our communities, that have been long excluded, so they can thrive … starting from young people to older people.
This is how we build resilience. This is how we open doors for opportunity. And this is how we foster community.
Addressing historical inequities by creating tangible changes — such as clean mobility options for underserved regions — is Black History. It is Black Leadership. It is Black Excellence.
Dr. Cassandra Little is not just shaping policy outcomes.
She is shaping possibility.
And we are honored to walk alongside her.