Kaileah

Board Member

Kaileah is a queer Black woman and born-and-raised Seattleite. Her lifelong commitment to social change shows up in every space she finds herself. She supports organizing and advocacy for our most marginalized communities through her day job as a progressive nonprofit HR professional, her volunteer work as a board member and advisor, her political advocacy at the city and state levels, and her progressive organizing around housing and bodily autonomy. She is a fierce leftist political advocate, aunt and sister and daughter, afrofuturist speculative fiction nerd, multidisciplinary artist, and dreamer for solidarity and collective liberation.

Marissa

Board Member

Marissa Esteban is the Recruiting Manger at PCC Community Markets where her focus is connecting with local communities and organizations to build diverse and dynamic teams across the co-op.  As an activist, she has spent her time empowering marginalized workers and building solidarity networks for workers rights abroad.  She is currently on the Employment Advisory Committee at FareStart. 

Jo

Treasurer

Jo has been involved with FEEST as a donor and volunteer since 2017 and is excited for the opportunity to contribute as a board member. FEEST incorporates many of the ingredients that Jo loves – connecting with community, raising our collective voice for justice, and sharing amazing food! Jo has an undergrad in business from the University of Oregon and a background in organizational development, media production, and philanthropy. On the weekend, you’ll find Jo at home working in the vegetable garden or cooking something delicious in the kitchen.

Gerard

Board Member

A native Californian that now calls Seattle home, Gerard has a passion for community service that dates back to childhood.  A graduate of Seattle University’s Public Administration program and passionate supporter of the arts, he currently works in Human Resources at the Seattle Art Museum.  In addition to his work with FEEST, Gerard serves on City of Kent Arts Commission, and is a Staff Sergeant in the US Army Reserves.  In his free time you can find him running Greenlake, knitting scarves to donate, or cooking spicy vegan dishes.

Alicia

Board Member

Alicia is a queer white woman born and raised in Washington. She began working with FEEST in 2018 as part of their contract bookkeeping team, and though she only visited the office twice a month, she was always welcomed in—often with a meal—and it was abundantly clear what a special place FEEST was. She is delighted to join and support the FEEST Fam as a board member. At work, Alicia is a CPA focusing on nonprofit accounting and consulting. Her path to accounting was circuitous: after getting a BA in creative writing from the University of Washington, she co-founded US Quadball, a nonprofit sports league that advances gender inclusivity in sports. A knack for spreadsheets and numbers took her from there into nonprofit operations, then bookkeeping and accounting. She is passionate about making the language of finance accessible and using it to build power for collective liberation. Outside of work, she loves cooking, crafting (especially sewing), and cuddling her sweet, mischievous fancy rats Flint, Fable, and Ziggy Stardust.

Simran

Board Secretary

Simran Singh (she/her) first became connected to FEEST through mutual friends who knew her passion for food. After a few years as a fan and attendee of Fresh Flavor, she was invited to join the Board at what turned out to be a pivotal time for the organization. Professionally, Simran has worked in local politics, big tech, and small scrappy start-ups and is excited to use her random collection of skills to support FEEST in whatever they need to keep moving forward. In her free time, Simran likes to garden, cook, and travel with her family.

Jamie

Co-Chair 

Jamie 真理恵 (she/her) is a passionate environmental and climate justice advocate, community organizer, and educator raised in Hawaii and rooted in Seattle. As a former youth worker and a community organizer, Jamie has been a fan of FEEST since running joint programming dinners with FEEST in 2015/2016, while she was the WILD youth program manager. She hasn’t missed a Fresh Flavor event yet if she can help it!  As a movement builder, Jamie is passionate about supporting young people and leaders of color with the tools and resources to create systemic change, and is thrilled to be a part of that work as a FEEST board member.

Professionally, Jamie has worked in climate change and environmental justice as part of nonprofits, community organizations, local government, and small business, and throughout that gained unique insights into transformational systems change. She led the groundbreaking development of a first ever climate justice framework (Sustainable & Resilient Frontline Communities) as part of King County’s 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan, and created the Climate Equity Community Task Force, to center frontline communities and BIPOC voices in community-driven climate policy-making. She made sure that supporting youth leadership and internships were a key priority, as well as ensured inclusion of a goal area around food justice.

Jamie previously worked for a non-profit building Asian & Pacific Islander (API) youth and immigrant elder leadership around environmental justice and community development issues, and in leadership development with youth & young professionals, in affordable housing, in environmental policy, and with Northwest tribes around traditional foods access, air quality, and environmental health. Some of Jamie’s current community projects include building capacity around policy & systems change, and environmental & climate justice through Noio Pathways, and mentoring young people of color in public service and environmental fields.