Kara Martin

Sr. Project Manager

 

 For over two decades, Kara has been dedicated to advancing equitable community food systems across the Greater Seattle region. With a background in food system planning and nonprofit management, her work has focused on food system assessments, planning and policy development, program development, and partnerships convening.

 Before joining New Venture Advisors, Kara was the Executive Director at City Fruit, a Seattle-based food security organization. For seven years she led the development of the Food Innovation Network, a community-centered initiative in South King County with a food business incubator and farmers market, aimed at providing business opportunity and financial stability for immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs and farmers. Kara previously ran a consulting firm where she collaborated with local governments and nonprofits on community food system projects to enhance food access and economic opportunity.

 Kara has served on the American Planning Association’s Food Division executive committee, the Seattle Planning Commission, and the Washington State Food System Roundtable. She is an Affiliate Instructor at the University of Washington’s Department of Urban Design and Planning, where she co-teaches a Food Systems course.

 Kara holds a Masters of Urban Planning from the University of Washington and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Colorado.

 

 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)