Meet the FS6 Team
The Food System 6 team is a small but mighty crew of humans committed to working together to build a better world.
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Caesaré Assad, Chief Executive Officer
Caesaré Assad has dedicated their life’s work to stewarding Mother Earth, nourishing people, and building a more just food system. Growing up in a rural agricultural community in Oklahoma, a lifelong artist, Caesaré came of age as a laborer cooking in restaurant kitchens across the US. Their journey towards personal and collective healing has included work as a youth advocate, nutrition educator at community-based nonprofits, and corporate consultant to global food enterprises. During their 20+ years of food system experience, Caesaré has developed innovative culinary, nutrition, and wellness initiatives focused on holistic health and building community wealth. In their role as CEO, Caesaré brings both professional and lived experience to Food System 6, directing new resources to entrepreneurs innovating on the frontlines of communities most impacted by climate change and the industrial food system.
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Patrick Ahern, Chief Operations Officer
Patrick is an operations and business development professional who has helped local businesses achieve sustainable solutions. Over the past 15+ years, Patrick’s expertise includes experience in both B2B and B2C markets, with a focus on business development, procurement and distribution, project management, restaurant equipment and design, systems creation, market analysis, and biogas driven power generation.
Originally from the Midwest and having lived on both coasts with 2 cross country trips under his belt, Patrick’s desire for new experiences is resolute. He is enriched by his community in the traditional ways of amazing food, great parties, and most recently fireside chats with friends, family, and neighbors. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Ohio University in Political Science with a specialization in Public Administration and Masters of Business Administration in Sustainable Enterprise from Dominican University. |
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Perri Kramer, Program Director
Perri has led Marketing and Operation teams, as well as product launches, in the organic food industry for over a decade. Prior to joining Food System 6, Perri worked for Whole Foods Market, Revolution Foods, and for restaurant and food marketing consultancies. An early passion for cooking led her to study food equity and farming and ultimately to build a career working with ethical businesses that support sustainable food systems. Still a deeply invested home cook and avid dinner party host, Perri brings communities together by celebrating good food and, in her free time, develops recipes for a local community supported fishery. Perri holds B.A. degrees from The Colorado College in History & Political Science as well as a concentration in Agro-Ecology.
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Kim Karris, Director of Strategic Development
As both a career fundraiser and philanthropic funder, Kim has spent the last 15 years developing creative strategies to raise millions for nonprofits and direct catalytic capital to social, environmental, and food justice movements.
Most recently, Kim served as the Executive Director of Food Well Alliance where she mobilized a regional coalition of policymakers, funders, farmers and community food entrepreneurs that worked together to change policies, invest in solutions and amplify the role of local, sustainable agriculture in improving the health of communities across metro Atlanta. As a member of the start-up team, she helped raise over $10 million in capital, built a devoted network of local supporters and developed the organization’s formative grantmaking and capacity building program, including the “Food Innovation Fellowship” -- a business accelerator for Atlanta’s community food entrepreneurs. Under Kim’s leadership, nearly $5 million was invested directly in 200 urban farmers and food entrepreneurs to build their collective power as they work toward a sovereign, regenerative and equitable food system. In addition to her food system work in the American “Deep” South, Kim is also steeped in the resistance movements of the Global South having lived and farmed directly with agricultural communities in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Nicaragua. She is a graduate of Agnes Scott College and received a Masters Degree in Sustainable Food Systems from the United Nations mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica. |
