Our Team

Renée Martin
Managing Director, Catalyst Kitchens

Vice President of National Initiatives, FareStart

Renée got her entrepreneurial experience in the (insanely) fast moving digital media sector where she launched and developed several startups. She has over 20 years of experience in sales, customer service and market development leadership. She ran a global channel business of over 150 partner agencies in 60 countries and led international market expansion efforts in the for-profit world. She has since pivoted to leading a network of social sector entrepreneurs as a collective impact initiative and a consulting practice as a capacity building initiative for nonprofits. Renée serves on the board and loan committee of Ventures – a nonprofit that empowers aspiring entrepreneurs with limited resources and unlimited potential. She is also a recent graduate of Leadership Tomorrow - a civic engagement program for leaders in the Pacific Northwest.

 

James Hondros
Impact Analyst

As a 20-year restaurant veteran and the former owner and operator of Eva Restaurant, James brings a wealth of experience as a business manager and culinary professional. He's spent time teaching job readiness and financial literacy classes to newly arrived refugees through International Rescue Committee and is interested in learning more about workforce development through social enterprise. In his role as Impact Analyst, James develops membership resources & uses network collective data to present Catalyst Kitchens' national impact. 
 

Anne Nylander
Resource Design Associate

Anne brings extensive experience to her role as Resource Design Associate from over a decade of work in the specialty coffee retail business. Anne has worked as a trainer, consultant, and coffee industry advocate, and is excited to bring her knowledge to the social enterprise community. In her role, Anne creates powerful resources that bring positive impact to the Catalyst Kitchens member network.
 

Jeremy Thomas

Database & Operations Associate

Jeremy joins Catalyst Kitchens from 13 years at Microsoft as a Software Engineer and manager. He brings a passion for food access and hunger relief, especially solutions that shorten the distance between food growth and its consumption. In his new role, Jeremy will bring his experience with technology and data pipelines to bolster data-informed decisions. This work will focus on how we can all integrate technology and data to strengthen and increase the impact of the Catalyst Kitchens team and its members.

 

 

Member Advisory Council

The Catalyst Kitchens Member Advisory Council (MAC) is comprised of leadership from across Model Member organizations. The MAC serves to provide valuable insight and strategic decision making in an effort to scale network impact and enhace membership value.

See the MAC

Emily Olsen-Harbich
Senior Manager, Membership & Resource Development

Emily is interested in challenging traditional community development norms to solve complex social issues at scale. She's worked at the grassroots level as a community extension agent in Peace Corps Cameroon and managed public-private initiatives while working as a managment consultant in Washington, DC. Emily's experience helps her build partnerships across sectors, design engaging learning content, and enhance the inspiring work of Catalyst Kitchens members around the country. 

 

Justin Smith
Senior Manager, Consulting & Training

Justin has worked for years merging food, gardening, and the culinary arts with services for vulnerable populations in both Chicago and Seattle.  In his role as Program Development Manager, Justin draws on a wide range of experience with instruction, curriculum writing, program expansion, youth education, and over a decade of work in restaurants and hospitality.

 

 

Natalie Evans

Support & Engagement Coordinator

Natalie joins Catalyst Kitchens with experience in Culinary Arts, Pastry Arts, Entrepreneurship, Retail, Catering, and Sales. Natalie was the Lead Catering Chef Instructor for Farestart’s Apprenticeship Program and Adult Culinary Program. In her new role, she will be supporting programs and outreach initiatives. Natalie enjoys connecting individuals to resources that helps them develop professionally & personally.

 

David Carleton
Founder

David has a long history of incubating and launching food-service-based social enterprises including his founding of what would become Catalyst Kitchens in 2006. His work in the field has been so impactful that he was the recipient of a Social Enterprise Alliance Leadership Award in 2009.