Tania Pacheco-Werner, Ph.D.
Appointed December 2020 by Governor Gavin Newsom
Term ends December 31, 2026
Dr. Tania Pacheco-Werner is Co-Director at the Central Valley Health Policy Institute at Fresno State. Dr. Pacheco-Werner was appointed to the California Air Resources Board in December 2020. She also serves on the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. A medical sociologist by training, she received her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California, San Francisco.
Dr. Pacheco-Werner is a health policy researcher by training; her focus is on the effects of neighborhoods on health. She has published articles on the effects of air quality on maternal-child health, and has policy publications on the relationship between air quality mitigation and residential segregation. She is an expert in community engagement for policy efforts, most recently involved in the Fresno economic equity initiative DRIVE (Developing the Region’s Inclusive and Vibrant Economy).
She is a Mexican immigrant and as someone who grew up in some of the most impacted neighborhoods in Fresno, CA, has first-hand knowledge about public health challenges due to air pollution. She hopes her work helps ground policy in the everyday practical challenges faced by communities in California. Dr. Pacheco-Werner lives with her husband and son in Sanger, California.