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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Contact Us

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Our Team

Nikiar Ahmadi

Finance Analyst

Maya Atlas

Project Manager

Andrea J. Carbine

Sr. Director

Kamanani Conklin

Food Policy Specialist

Michelle DiMuzio

Project Management Associate

Brian Estabrook

Policy Specialist

Sheree Goertzen

Funding Development Specialist & Research Associate

Hailey Grohman

Project Manager and Operations Specialist

Chelsea Hanson

Health Equity and Innovation Strategy Specialist

Jess Hogue

Facility Design Specialist

Dan Lasky

Research Associate

Avi Mallinger

Project Manager

Hannah Martin

Research Associate

Kara Martin

Sr. Project Manager

Emmy Nyquist

Research Assistant

Kathy Nyquist

Founder and Principal

Maura Rapkin

Research Associate

Nikki Seibert Kelley

Business Development Manager

Deb Wilkinson

Operations Manager

Claudia Yang

Finance Specialist

Our Collaborators

Jim Carbine

Food Industry Strategist

Lou Scudere

Grocery Market Analyst

Christian Vetter

Retail Market Analyst

 Whatcom County Food System Plan

New Venture Advisors supported Whatcom County staff and the Food System Committee in developing the Whatcom County Food System Plan, a 10-year roadmap for a more equitable and resilient food system. NVA led plan development, community engagement, and cross-sector strategy, integrating agriculture, fisheries and marine harvest, processing, distribution, and access to strengthen the regional food economy. (2023)

 Whatcom Local Food Campus

Whatcom Community Foundation continues to partner with New Venture Advisors to guide the development of the Kitchens@Millworks —a bold project uniting health, equity, and market access. Building on previous work with the Farm to Freezer program, the team developed an operational model, financial analysis, and partner strategy. NVA is evaluating expansion of farm-to-institution efforts and their potential relocation to the new campus. Advanced financial models support a multi-operator facility encompassing production, aggregation, retail, and community programs. (2026)