PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Kirby is a philanthropy and impact investment executive with experience partnering with CEOs, Executive Directors, and Boards in the impact space to build robust, community-driven strategies, programs, and teams. He has worked in diverse fields with nonprofits, companies, family offices, private foundations, and collaboratives to drive systems change with an integrated capital lens. He has deep experience in and commitment to social and ecological regeneration, racial equity and justice, and innovative financing and operating models supporting complex ecosystems. He aims to bring tenacity, joy, and humility to his work, focusing on relationships over transactions.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Strategic leadership and implementation
Philanthropic advising and grant management
Operations and process development
Virtual team management and coordination
Board relations and management
Complex problem solving and relations management
Risk and crisis management
Financial analysis, budgeting, and cashflow
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Funders for Regenerative Agriculture (FORA)
Staatsburg, NY Managing Director (November 2020 – Present)
Funders for Regenerative Agriculture (FORA) is a diverse group of funders who are working together to accelerate the transition of our agricultural systems to a more regenerative, just, and nutritious system for all people and our ecosystems.
• Managed board relations, meetings, agendas, minutes, calendars, and board packet creation
• Developed organization’s formation and strategy, working groups, programming, membership, hiring, operations, and finances
• Expanded membership from 10 to 80+ members within three years, co-created collaborative pooled grantmaking and programs
• Co-created programs and grantmaking supporting BIPOC led-and-serving organizations
• Raised $1.5M+ in general operating and restricted funding for the organization
Threadspan Advisory
Rhinebeck, NY/New York, NY
Director (November 2017 – Present)
Threadspan is an advisory firm focusing on catalyzing impact initiatives in partnership with funders and practitioners.
• Guided strategic planning for various clients in diverse fields of practice, with a focus on practitioners in the Hudson Valley and NYC
• Provided board governance, management support, and landscape analyses for funders, and their grantees and investees
• Co-founded the Hudson Valley Prosperity Network (HVPN), a Community Investment Fund (CIF)
• Co-founded and coordinated the Hudson Valley Farmer Training Collaborative (HVFTC)
Armonia LLC
Greenwich, CT/New York, NY
Investment Associate, Private Equity (November 2015 – November 2017)
Armonia is a multigenerational family office that invests in regenerative food and agriculture solutions.
• Supported a multigenerational family office’s private equity portfolio of 35+ partners focused on impact investments
• Managed due diligence, deal transactions, legal structuring, project management, reporting, board governance on 30M+ in deals
• Provided board governance to portfolio companies and internal consulting
• Liaised between a multigenerational cohort of family members and the trustees of the bank responsible for administering funds
C&S Wholesale Grocers, & ES3 LLC
Keene, NH/Windsor Locks, CT/Tampa, FL
Amazon Account Executive (December 2014 – October 2015)
M&A Corporate Development Analyst (June 2014 – December 2014)
Facilities Planning, Automation, and Industrial Engineering Analyst (February 2014 – June 2014)
Corporate Strategy & Marketing Analyst (May 2013 – January 2014)
C&S Wholesale Grocers & ES3 LLC together are a privately owned, $30B food distribution and supply chain company.
• Excelled in a highly selective rotational leadership development program working with senior leadership
• Executed due diligence with the SVP of M&A on $300M+ in deals; performed financial analyses on target P&Ls and forecasts
• Developed and led an $8M E-commerce platform with SVP of Sales
• Worked with the IE team to drive process improvement and engage stakeholders to facilitate change management and mitigate risk
• Lead on “Food Desert” business model initiative; built out framework targeting food accessibility solutions to drive CSR agenda
• Authored, designed, and distributed whitepapers on industry trends for internal consulting and external distribution
BOARD EXPERIENCE
GreenWave
USA
Member, Board of Directors (November 2023 – Present)
GreenWave trains and supports regenerative ocean farmers in the era of climate change. We work with coastal communities throughout North America to create a blue green economy—built and led by ocean farmers—that ensures we all make a living on a living planet.
Art Republic Space
New York, NY
Member, Board of Directors (May 2021 - Present)
The mission of Art Republic Space is to build community, and in the future, create housing with workspace for older professional artists in the United States at a time when housing insecurity disproportionately impacts this high-contributing sector of the American population.
Funders for Regenerative Agriculture (FORA)
Staatsburg, NY
Co-Chair of the Board (September 2019 – November 2021)
• Founding co-chair of the board, interim executive director in 2020 leading the organization through the pandemic
• Co-developed governance and organizational structure, fiscal sponsor relationship, and all operational and strategic processes
• Planned and facilitated board retreats, all member meetings, accountability systems, and educational programming
Farm Ferments, Whitethorne LLC
Hudson, New York
Chair and Secretary, Board of Directors (April 2018 – January 2021)
Farm Ferments is a food brand, manufacturer, and co-packer working in service of supporting a local, regenerative, and just food system in the Hudson Valley.
• Led the organization’s spin-off from a local nonprofit into a hybrid ownership model
• Raised and structured $2M+ in equity, debt, and government financing
• Interim CEO in the summer of 2018; executed management transition and board governance buildout
The Sustainability Project, Inc.
Gilsum, NH
Treasurer, Board of Directors (July 2014 – October 2015)
TSP promotes a love of nature, environmental stewardship, caring community and ways of living that deepen our understanding of the interconnected web of life.
• Guided organizational strategy through board retreats, creating annual budgets, compiling annual reports
FELLOWSHIPS
Good Work Institute Fellowship (2017)
Hudson Valley, NY
• Regional leadership development program for entrepreneurs, community leaders, and place makers supporting the new economy
NH Center for Nonprofits, Hoffman-Haas Fellow (2015)
Keene, NH
• Program aimed towards developing nonprofit management skills, governance strategies, and board acumen
EDUCATION
Harvard Law School (April 2015)
Boston, MA
• Negotiation and Leadership certificate, a case-based intensive course on the strategies, tactics, and theories behind negotiations
Middlebury College (2009 – 2013)
Middlebury, VT
• Bachelor of Arts, Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies Joint Major, Minor in French
IEP Bordeaux, Sciences PO (2012)
Bordeaux, France
• Semester of foreign exchange with a French “Grand École” specializing in business strategy and political science
United World College of the Atlantic (2007 – 2009)
St. Donat’s, Wales, UK
• International Baccalaureate recipient; selected as a U.S. Davis Scholar: two-year program with 350 students from 88 countries
SKILLS
Microsoft Suite (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Publisher)
Website administration (Squarespace, Wordpress)
Google suite (Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Admin, Calendar, Groups, Forms, Jamboard)
Meeting management (Zoom, Google Meet)
Collaborative platforms (Trello, Asana, AirTable, Zapier, Loomio, Miro, Basecamp)
Communication platforms (Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Mailchimp, Survey Monkey, Loom)
Accounting software (QBO, Divvy, Liscio, Hubdoc)
Research and database (ChatGPT, Airtable, CRMs, PubMed, JSTOR)
PUBLICATIONS & WORK
Editor on Analysis & Recommendations: U.S. Policy & Regenerative Agriculture
Editor on Climate Brief, Soil Brief, Water Brief
Interactive Data Visualization Platform - Tracking the Field
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Native proficiency in English; conversational proficiency in French, Spanish