The Governing Board controls and coordinates the Centre’s activities and is responsible for governance and management within the limits contemplated in the statutes. It is a collegiate decision-making working body with the capacity to inform, propose and – if required– resolve. It usually meets once every three months.
Joan Ribó Canut
Mayor of Valencia
since May 2015
Graduate in agricultural engineering from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, he holds a diploma in food technology and a doctorate from the Valencia Agrochemistry Institute. Joan boasts extensive teaching experience as a college lecturer and a professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. He is the author of eight publications, director of several master’s and doctoral thesis programmes, and has conducted research into non-polluting pesticides at the Agrochemistry Institute. He was a member of the Valencian parliament between 1995 and 2007 and a spokesman for the Esquerra Unida País Valencià group.
Alejandro Ramón Álvarez
Councillor for Agriculture,
Sustainable Food and Farmlands
A sociology graduate, Alejandro is also an advanced audiovisual technician. Co-author of the book Paraules de terra i fang, featuring testimonies of people whose lives are intertwined with the natural environments of l’Horta Sud de València, La Marjal and La Albufera. Since 2015 he has been associated with local politics in the city of Valencia through the neighbourhood mayors’ offices. He represents the city of Valencia in the Agroecology City Network and in the Climate City Network.
Carlos Galiana Llorens
Councillor for Trade, Innovation
and Knowledge Management
Carlos is a specialist in theatre management, production and direction, and a graduate in Dramatic Art from the Valencia School of Dramatic Art. His professional life has been closely linked to the performing arts, having participated in numerous theatre productions and TV series. Since a very early age he has also been closely associated with the world of Fallas and he represents the city in the INNPULSO Network (Network of Cities for Science and Innovation).
Emiliano García Domene
Councillor for Health
and Responsible Consumption
Emiliano is a graduate of the first class of sommeliers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, and has a master’s degree in wine production, technology and marketing. Associated with the restaurant world, he has served on the management board of various organizations: CEV and CIERVAL; he is vice-president of the Spanish Hospitality Federation and the CEPYMEV, and chairman of ACIPMAR (Association of Maritime Traders, Industrialists and Professionals). Emiliano is the author of various articles and regularly participates in a number of radio programmes.
Mireia Mollà Herrera
Regional Minister for Agriculture, Rural
Development, Climate Emergency and
Ecological Transition
Mireia has a diploma in statistics from the Miguel Hernández University in Elx. She has worked in companies related to the world of publishing and the footwear sector. She was a member of the Valencia Parliament representing Compromís in the seventh, eighth and ninth legislatures, and spokeswoman for several commissions, including the commission for the Environment and Nuclear Safety and the Special Commission for the Study of Climate Change. Mireia was Elx city councillor in the 2015-2019 legislature.
Vicent Llorens Martí
Managing Director
of La Marina
Vicent is a graduate in geography and history, specialising in regional geographical analysis. The subject of his interdisciplinary doctoral course was rural history. He has been an associate professor of physical geography, and a researcher for the Ministry of Education and Science as part of the training programme for research staff affiliated to the Geography Department at the University of Valencia. His roles in local administration have included coordinator of public services and communication in the mayor’s office at Gandía City Council between 2009 and 2016.
Gabriel Ferrero
Ph.D., Head of Sustainable Development Policy
at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ph.D., is the head of Sustainable Development Policy at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was the primary author of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Spain. Gabriel was senior adviser in the team for planning the post-2015 development of the Executive Office of the United Nations General Secretary, and director of the special representative’s team for food security and nutrition. An aid worker in Central America between 1999 and 2002, he is a doctor and professor on furlough from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, where he headed its Cooperation Centre for Development between 2004 and 2006.