The Aspen Institute

Patricia Funegra (Arlington, Virginia) is a social entrepreneur, activist and advocate for economic development in Virginia. Paty began her career in business development and insurance in Peru where she grew up. She earned her degree in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing at Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas in Lima, Peru. In 2007, Paty took a leap of faith and moved to the United States, working hard to pursue her business career. She began working in international development at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, DC in 2010. It was there she found her true calling as a catalyst for social change. Paty founded La Cocina VA in 2012 with a vision to create opportunities for economic growth in the DC metropolitan area, specifically focusing on the Hispanic community. She currently leads this social enterprise as Chief Executive Officer. La Cocina VA is a workforce and small business development non-profit organization that provides vocational job training for the food service and hospitality industries, English language training and job placement for the unemployed as well as healthy meals to the hungry and underserved populations. Paty and her organization have been recognized and received numerous accolades for the innovative work they do in the community. She is currently leading her team to collaborate with many stakeholders to create a strategic plan for growth to serve an even broader base and expand their mission of socio-economic development. Participated in Socrates Program in Aspen, Colorado in July 2016.