Board of Directors

Chair

Corey Hampton
Corey Hampton is a marketing professional with more than 20 years of marketing, brand strategy and business development experience. He is the Vice President of Business & Strategic Development at VanTrust Real Estate. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. In addition to his involvement with Cultivate KC, Corey is active in the community and volunteers his time to the Kansas City, Missouri Committee of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the board of directors of Revolve Community Bike Shop.

Vice Chair

Nathan Young
Nathan has worked for Black & Veatch for 5 years and has responsibility for Organization Effectiveness, Talent Development, and HR Strategy. He serves as a key advisor to the business on Organization Effectiveness and Talent Strategy. He is responsible for leading and performing the role of change agent for Corporate HR and provides big picture thinking and counsel to leaders in the organization. Nathan and his team partner with business leaders to drive critical global strategies through business consulting, client partnering, organization alignment/design, talent development, and change management solutions to support global company growth plans.   Nathan is known for his extensive knowledge of strategy and business model development, organization effectiveness, change management and performance management.

Secretary

Laura Adams
Laura Adams is the practice lead for Green Infrastructure and Sustainable Planning at Black & Veatch. She is driven to co-create innovative solutions with the goal to revitalize communities, restore natural resources, and address climate resiliency. Inspired by Cultivate KC, Laura schemes in the garden with her son, Grey, who chooses vegetables with great names and with her husband, Jensen, to harvest honey and raise rabbits.

Treasurer

John Leese
John is a Corporate Controller at Bravas, a nationwide Custom Integration company. He has over a decade of experience in Finance and Accounting, and is a licensed CPA. His experience includes public accounting at EY, as well as leadership positions in high-growth companies, providing financial oversight and strategic direction.  He’s a native Kansan, having earned his Masters in Accounting at UMKC and his Masters in Finance at KU. He loves to learn, teach, and share. He’s been a volunteer with Cultivate KC since 2018 and also Chairs the Finance and Operations Committee.

Jordan Baehr
Jordan is an attorney at Shook, Hardy & Bacon. Like many in KC, food and farming are centerpieces both of his own family history and of what it means to him to be a Kansas Citian. He has served as a volunteer and committee member with Cultivate KC, and is ever encouraged and excited to take part in Cultivate’s work toward a healthy, practical, and equitable food system and future in Kansas City.

Keith Harris
Keith is an Assistant Professor Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University. He has experienced 30 years in food and agriculture as an industry practitioner and academic. Cultivate Kansas City’s work represents his values of economic viability and environmental sustainability for the food system.

Desarae Hurrah
Desarae is the founder and managing partner of Harrah Law, LLC, a firm focusing on business, real estate, and construction located in the heart of Kansas City’s Westport District. Desarae earned her J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, and both a B.A. in Political Science and B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Kansas.

Len Jurden
Len is a Senior Advisor for Global Capital Finance. 

Gene Moses
Gene is Director of Product at The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, where he has been designing program experiences since 2013. He has served on Cultivate KC’s Finance & Operations committee since 2016. He envisions a world where local food movements change how people connect with their neighborhoods, communities, and most importantly, their food. Gene earned his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at the University of North Texas and his Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Missouri, Kansas City while concurrently earning his Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) credential.

Sue Patterson
Sue is the Marketing & Communications Director of City Market in downtown Kansas City, MO, where she applies her diverse background in brand management, broadcast journalism, public relations, and entrepreneurship to amplify the market’s primary mission of providing the community with access to fresh healthy food. A lifelong Kansas Citian, she is an avid supporter of local arts, wellness education, and environmental programs that increase the vibrancy, connectedness, and equity of our community. When she’s not working, you’ll find her digging in the vegetable garden, cleaning the chicken coop, cooking in the kitchen, or running in the neighborhood.

John Sharp
Former Councilman
City of Kansas City, MO

Andrea Shores
Andrea works in corporate communications for Sprint, the telecommunications company headquartered in Overland Park, Kan. Introduced to Cultivate Kansas City in 2010 through her work with the Missouri Department of Agriculture, Andrea has since served the organization as a volunteer, Communications Committee member and chair, and supporter. As an advocate for sustainable, local agriculture, Andrea is often found shopping at the Brookside Farmers’ Market or eating at area locally-owned restaurants.

Brian Smith
Brian works in strategic fundraising at Summit Marketing where he helps his clients attract, engage and retain their donors. Brian grew up on a small farm in Indiana where he developed his passion for gardening and cooking. He recently moved to Kansas City and has fallen in love with the food scene and its focus on local, sustainable foods. Brian started his Cultivate KC journey as a Development Committee member and City Market Farmer’s Market shopper!