Dr. Juan P. Magaña Receives 2024 Alfred Diaz-Infante Award

Siembra Latinos Fund Announces Second Annual Alfred Diaz-Infante Award Recipient: Dr. Juan P. Magaña

Monterey County, California — The Siembra Latinos Fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County is proud to announce that Dr. Juan P. Magaña Founder, Minorities in Medicine and Hospitalist, at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP), is the recipient of the second annual Alfred Diaz-Infante Award. The award was established in 2023 to honor the late Alfred Diaz-Infante, a community leader and nonprofit executive who created partnerships to uplift the Latino community in Monterey County.

To be nominated, let alone be the recipient of the Alfred Diaz-Infante Award is an honor. Alfred Diaz-Infante dedicated his life to service and provided many in our community with access, equity, safety and an opportunity for a better life. I only hope that I can live up to Alfred’s legacy and make as great an impact in the community I serve as he did for so many years. This recognition affirms that I am on the right path towards bettering my community. My heartfelt thank you to the Diaz-Infante family, Community Foundation for Monterey County and the Siembra Latino Fund for this tremendous honor.”

Dr. Magaña is proud to be born and raised in Salinas, California where he lived in the Boronda neighborhood and attended local public schools. After completing his undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley, he went on to attend the University of Washington School of Medicine, where he completed his dual MD/MHA degree. Dr. Magaña finished his medical training in Internal Medicine at Duke University and returned home to join the medical team at CHOMP as a Hospitalist. His role is to work within a multidisciplinary team of providers to care for hospitalized patients.

Like his two sisters, who also came back to work as medical providers for patients living in the Salinas Valley, Dr. Magaña felt it was important to return home and give back to his community. He received tremendous support from his family, friends and mentors along his journey. Acknowledging and appreciating the sacrifices and investment others made in him, Dr. Magaña has dedicated most of his adult life to mentorship of others who seek to pursue a medical career.

His current efforts are to increase the number of underrepresented minority students who matriculate into a medical career and return to serve the residents of Monterey County. He spearheaded the creation of a shadowing program at CHOMP where students from underrepresented backgrounds are provided meaningful mentorship and clinical exposure. For over five years Dr. Magaña and his team have opened the door to students who may not have otherwise had the opportunities to explore a career in medicine. In the last year alone, Minorities in Medicine students received over 2,000 hours of shadowing.

“We are honored to recognize Dr. Magaña for his outstanding contributions to our community, exemplifying the spirit of civic responsibility and service as Alfred did,” said Ida Lopez Chan, Siembra Latinos Fund Co-Chair. “Our family is proud to honor the legacy of my brother by partnering with the Siembra Latinos Fund on this annual award. We hope it will inspire others to continue in his footsteps,” said Louie Diaz-Infante, Alfred’s brother and member of the Siembra Latinos Fund Advisory Council.

The award will be presented at the 7^th Annual Siembra Latinos Annual Celebration on Thursday, September 26, 2024, at the Oldemeyer Center in Seaside. Proceeds will be used to support grantmaking efforts to local nonprofits addressing academic, health and economic disparities. Tickets and sponsorship information can be found online at: give.cfmco.org/Siembra2024.

For more information, please call (831) 375-9712 or visit cfmco.org/Siembra.

Thank you to our generous Event Sponsors:

Diamond Sponsors
Kaiser Permanente
Montage Health
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Salinas Valley Health
Soledad Community Health Care District

Platinum Sponsor
Central Coast Community Energy

Gold Sponsors
Jose & Brenda Arreola
Cal Water
CHISPA
Familia Melgoza
Hartnell College Foundation
Natividad Foundation
Pacific Valley Bank

About the Siembra Latinos Fund

The Siembra Latinos Fund was created in 2017 to improve the quality of life for Latinos in Monterey County. It was created by a group of local Latino leaders to build on a culture of philanthropy and inspire giving by and for Latinos. “Siembra” means “to sow” and the fund seeks to grow opportunity for the Latino community in Monterey County. Siembra has granted more than $110,000 supporting education, mental health and economic development. It is a field of interest fund of the Community Foundation for Monterey County.

About the Community Foundation for Monterey County

The mission of the Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC) is “to inspire philanthropy and be a catalyst for strengthening communities throughout Monterey County.” Thanks to generous individuals, families and businesses who have created charitable funds, the CFMC has granted more than $341 million to nonprofits working towards healthy, safe, vibrant communities. For more information visit cfmco.org or call 831.375.9712.

About Alfred Diaz-Infante

The proud son of farmworkers who instilled their belief in the power of both education and home ownership, Alfred Diaz-Infante graduated from Hartnell College in 1984 and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and an M.B.A. in real estate and land use economics from the University of California, Berkeley. A gifted community leader who was passionate about improving lives and creating opportunity in the Salinas Valley, he was president and CEO of CHISPA (Community Housing Improvement Systems and Planning), Inc., a nonprofit developer and provider of affordable housing based in Salinas.

Among a breadth of community service, Diaz-Infante served on the Hartnell College Foundation Board of Directors from 2007-17 and was a trustee of several local nonprofit and educational institution boards, including the Community Foundation for Monterey County, the Big Sur Land Trust, York School and Salinas Regional Sports Authority, and a past board member of the Youth Orchestra Salinas. His many honors include the 2015 Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award and the 2013 Distinguished Fellow Award from California State University, Monterey Bay for his work in community and public service.