About New Venture Advisors

Our team and collaborators bring a unique, multi-faceted perspective to the sustainable food industry.

Our business acumen comes from top tier consulting, strategy and operations management experience in the private sector. Our entrepreneurial vision stems from launching and running our own food enterprises. Our passion for social and environmental impact aligns with our diverse experience in the social and civic sectors.

We bring this all together to help our clients develop food systems and businesses that are socially and economically sustainable.

 

New Venture Advisors is exceptional. The team has a rare ability grasp the vision for a project as well as the nuance. It’s a pleasure to work with skilled, knowledgeable, experienced people who share a passion for rebuilding food systems that work for people and places.

Mauri Ingram

President & CEO, Whatcom Community Foundation

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Our Team

Kathy Nyquist

Founder and Principal

Melissa Hamilton

Business Strategy Specialist

Andrea J. Carbine

Sr. Project Manager

Nikki Seibert Kelley

Project Manager

Eileen Horn

Project Manager

Caroline Myran

Project Manager

Liane Sullivan

Project Manager

Annie Kalavagunta

Financial Specialist

Robert Clemens

Financial Specialist

Claudia Yang

Financial Analyst

Sheree Goertzen

Research Analyst & Funding Development Specialist

Julia Larouche

Research Associate

Maura Rapkin

Research Specialist

Emmy Nyquist

Research Assistant

Sarah Lesch

Facility Design Specialist

Sarah Brown

Food & Ag Policy Specialist

Alex Stoicof

Cartographer

Deb Wilkinson

Operations Manager

Our Collaborators

Joel Berman

Kitchen Design Specialist

Jim Carbine

Food Industry Strategist

Saloni Doshi

Business Strategy Specialist

Patti Wu-Manchester

Financial Specialist

 Whatcom County Food System Plan

The Whatcom County Food System Committee recently conducted a community food assessment that pointed to key opportunities to build a more robust and resilient regional food system. New Venture Advisors will partner with Whatcom County staff and the Food System Committee to draft a Whatcom County Food System Plan that builds upon these findings. This Plan will focus on six sectors of the food system including fishing, farming, labor, food access, environment, and waste, and will be informed by an inclusive and equitable community engagement process.  The Food System Plan will provide the county with a policy roadmap that will strengthen the local food system for years to come. (2022)

 Whatcom Local Food Campus

The Whatcom Community Foundation invests in activities and organizations that improve the ability of people to help themselves, increase connections among people, and take cooperative approaches to community issues. WCF is exploring the development of a local food campus on a waterfront property that would become a multi-tenant site, anchored by a school district commissary. The goal is to strengthen Whatcom County’s local food system by promoting health equity, forging tangible strategic connections between food production organizations, and helping farmers connect with institutional markets. NVA developed the business case for this ambitious project and continues to support its development. (2022)