Kirchner Fellows

2023/2024 Kirchner Fellows

We believe the next generation is uniquely qualified to find, fund and assist promising conscious agriculture businesses. They have a native understanding of the coming possibilities of a networked, customized and distributed world.

Mexico Fellows

Students attending university in Mexico.

Lili Marlene Pérez López

Lilí Marlene is pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Global Business at Tecnológico de Monterrey. She is a member of the prestigious “Líderes del Mañana” program, and has been awarded a full scholarship.

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Arturo Macias Ortiz

Arturo Macias Ortiz is completing his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration Engineering from the esteemed Instituto Tecnológico de Celaya this summer before gearing up to begin a Master’s degree in Project Management at Summa University in Florida this fall.

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Jose Luis Quintana Carrillo

Jose Luis is pursuing a Master’s degree in innovation for enterprise development and holds a background as a biotechnology engineer from Tecnologico de Monterrey.

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HBCU Fellows

Students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Zaire Dartez

Zaire is currently pursuing her Masters Degree in Business at Morgan State University. She is an advocate for unconventional ventures and disruptive innovations in the realm of venture capital.

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Malcolm Bilal

Malcolm is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina.

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Wilberforce Twinamatsiko

Wilberforce is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Computer Science and Technology at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

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Past Fellows

2022/2023 Kirchner Fellows

Celestina Brenes Porras

Celestina is a Political Scientist from the University of Costa Rica (UCR) and an Internationalist from the National University (UNA).

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Itnan Vargas Venegas

Itnan is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology Engineering at the Technological Institute of Costa Rica.

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Sianny Chavarria Zamora

Sianny is an animal science specialist from the University of Costa Rica. She is currently studying for a master’s degree in industrial engineering with a focus on administration.

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Benjamín Trujillo Barrera

Benjamin is pursuing an economics degree at UNAM and has a BS in biotechnology from Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) with a minor in molecular biology. Seeking to be a bridge between biotechnology and business, he worked as a junior in innovation at Distrito Emprendedor, conducting business analysis of SMEs among other events in conjunction with the National Institute of Entrepreneurs.

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Mildred Gissel Jiménez Rodriguez

Mildred is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Nanotechnology at Tecnologico de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico. Throughout her studies, she has led and participated in several initiatives to promote youth involvement in the development of the Latin American bioeconomy through science communication, evidence-based policymaking, and entrepreneurship.

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Marion Ximena Ochoa Hidalgo

Marion is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Digital Humanities and has a Bachelor’s in International Business from the Tecnológico de Monterrey in León, Mexico. She is passionate about achieving sustainability through socially-driven undertakings and disruptive innovation concentrated on impactful businesses.

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Shivani Desai

Shivani is a graduate student at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, where she is focusing on Environmental Policy and International Business. She has over seven years of experience in the international development space – consulting with nonprofits and social businesses on their organizational strategies and programs, advising private funders on their philanthropic investments, and managing multi-year implementation projects in South Asia.

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Shisbeth Tábora

Shisbeth, originally from Honduras, is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Toxicology, The Institute of Environmental and Human Health at Texas Tech University. She earned her M.Sc. in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Wildlands Science and Management with a Certificate in Geographic Information Science and Technology at Texas Tech University.

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Brian Ezeonu

Brian is a Ph.D. Candidate at Auburn University; where his research focuses on international development, global finance, and governance. He earned an MA. in Economics from Georgia State University (GSU) and a BSc. in Economics from University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN).

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Taylor Weekes

Taylor is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She recently served as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst at Goldman Sachs in the Financial Institutions Group.

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Ayodeji Akande

Ayodeji is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Computer Information Systems at Howard University. He previously worked at PJT Partners as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst in the Strategic Advisory Group.

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Devotha Mwazembe

Devotha is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Integrative Biosciences at Tuskegee University. Her research focuses on crop production, soil science, crop modeling decision tools, climate change, and sustainability. She earned an MS. Environmental Sciences from Tuskegee University and a BSc. Agronomy from the Sokoine University of Agriculture.

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2021/2022 Kirchner Fellows

Laura Navarro

Laura is an undergraduate economics student at Duke University in the United States and Duke Kunshan University (DKU) in China. Her studies focus on international justice and developing economics in Latin America and South East Asia.

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Jorge Alejandro Nieto Alvarez

Jorge is currently, studying a master’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Guanajuato, where he wants to focus on consolidating the potential that biotechnology has as a high-impact science, through the efficient investment of capital mediated by the search of sustainable solutions.

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Genaro Aldana Chavez

Genaro is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Bionanotechnology Engineering at Universidad Iberoamericana in Guanajuato, Mexico. He is passionate about bridging the gap between applied science and public policy making.

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Adolfo Reinoso

Adolfo is from Guatemala, and currently pursuing a Master of International Business at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

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Karen Moran Rivera

Karen is pursuing a Ph.D. at Wageningen University and Research; where her research focuses on soil science, sustainability, and climate change.

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Myriam Faucher

Myriam is pursuing her Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University with a Certificate in Social Impact as a Forté Fellow.

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Bryana Pittman

Bryana is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Systems Engineering at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida. She is passionate about bridging the gap between food deserts in the local community, researching innovations in intellectual property, and exploring the financial markets.

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Martin Adu-Boahene

Martin is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. He is passionate about investing, entrepreneurship, and technology.

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Kwame Terra

Kwame is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health degree in Health Equity at Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana. His studies focus on the association between local food environment and chronic disease prevalence.

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2020/2021 Kirchner Fellows

Eric Flood

Eric is pursuing a Masters of International Business at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. His studies focus on international finance, capital markets and development economics. He has worked in innovation and its funding throughout his professional career.

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Yinuo (Jenny) Zhang

Jenny is pursuing a Master of Science in Foreign Service degree at Georgetown University with a focus on global business and finance. She is interested in the nexus of business, sustainability and technology.

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Rachel Resek

Rachel is pursuing her MBA at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She is passionate about bringing together her experience in venture capital, operations and finance to build a healthier, more sustainable food system.

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Karla Mariana Reséndiz-Contreras

Kirchner Food Fellowship – Mexico
Karla is a graduate student at UAQ (Autonomous University of Queretaro) in Queretaro, Mexico, where she earned a BSc in Agroindustrial Engineering. Currently she is working on a Masters in Plant Sciences at Wageningen University and Research.

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Aydée Araceli Tirado Meza

Kirchner Food Fellowship – Mexico
Aydée is an agronomist from Queretaro, Mexico. She gained her B.Sc. in Engineering in Agronomy from Tecnologico de Monterrey. Having an entrepreneurial spirit, she was part of the HUB Explora program at her alma mater, and she is now undertaking a new project focused on urban agriculture and community engagement.

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Rafael Quijada Landaverde

Kirchner Food Fellowship – Mexico
Rafael is a Graduate Associate and doctoral student in the Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership program at The Ohio State University (OSU). He earned an MSc in Agricultural Education from Texas Tech University (TTU) and a BSc in Environment and Development from Zamorano University (Honduras).

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Abigail Napsuciale Heredia

Kirchner Food Fellowship – Mexico
Abigail is currently pursuing her BSc in Biotechnology Engineering at Instituto Politécnico Nacional in Guanajuato, México. She is also Co-founder and Executive Director of BioLaunch, an organization that seeks to promote and develop the bio-entrepreneurship ecosystem.

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2019/2020 Kirchner Fellows

Laura Zaim

Laura is currently pursuing her MBA at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, with a focus in finance. Laura is an environmentalist and entrepreneur working to transition the global food system to one that is more sustainable from an environmental, human health and animal welfare perspective.

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Brennan Costello

Brennan is a graduate student at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln pursuing a Masters in Business Administration. Brennan earned a Bachelors in Agribusiness with minors in entrepreneurship and leadership from Nebraska in 2016.

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Ephrem Tesfaye Woldegiorgis

Ephrem is studying at American University’s School of International Service (SIS) under the MA in International Development Program with emphasis in agriculture, rural development and rural economic institutions in Sub Saharan Africa.

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Edgar Fernando Suarez Zamora

Kirchner Food Fellowship – Mexico
Fernando is currently a Master in Technology innovation candidate at Universidad Iberoamericana in Leon where he is developing a technology innovation management system to help tech-based companies successfully commercialize their technologies.

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Eduardo Samuel Garay

Kirchner Food Fellowship – Mexico
Eduardo is currently pursuing his MSc in Plant and Soil Sciences at Mississippi State University. He earned a BSc from Zamorano University – Honduras in Agricultural Production.

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Mario Alfonso Bonal Rodríguez

Kirchner Food Fellowship – Mexico
Mario is a Business Innovation Master candidate at Universidad de Celaya in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico and since January 2018 is the Tech Transfer Office Coordinator at Agrobioteg Innovation Park in Irapuato, Guanajuato.

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Iris Jahel Elizarraraz Martinez

Kirchner Food Fellowship – Mexico
Iris is a Plant Biotechnology PhD candidate at CINVESTAV Irapuato (Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute) in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico where she also studied the master’s program.

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2018/2019 Kirchner Fellows

Emery (Hattie) Brown

Hattie is a Masters of Science candidate at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, where her studies focus on trade and agricultural policy in the interest of international food security.

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Charles Higgenbotham

Charles is currently pursuing his MPS in Agriculture and Life Sciences with a specialization in International Agriculture and Rural Development at Cornell University.

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Ambulah Mamey

Ambulah is currently a graduate student at the American University’s School of International Services (SIS) where he is pursuing MS Degree in Development Management. His concentration is in Agricultural Development and the Environment.

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2017/2018 Kirchner Fellows

Karla Rascon-Garcia

Karla is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology at the University of California, Davis after earning a B.S. in Animal Science and a Masters in Development Practice from the University of Arizona.

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Adrian Garcia-Casarrubias

Adrian is a Plant Biotechnology PhD candidate at CINVESTAV-IPN (Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute) in San Pedro Zacatenco, Mexico.

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Alfredo Costilla-Reyes

Alfredo is a PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering at the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University. Alfredo also holds a Certificate in Business from the Mays Business School and is currently working on one focused on Entrepreneurship and Technology Commercialization.

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2016/2017 Kirchner Fellows

Kate Collins

Kate Collins is a dual MBA-MPA student at MIT Sloan and Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

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Sydney Herndon

Sydney currently holds bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology and Art History with minors in Spanish and Sustainability from Auburn University, where she graduated with honors in 2013.

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Faridah O. Ibrahim

Faridah is an MPA in Development Practice candidate at Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs [SIPA].

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2015/2016 Kirchner Fellows

David Byrnes

David Byrnes is a PhD Candidate in Plant Biology and Pathology at Rutgers University in the Plant Breeding and Genomics track.

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Eamonn McGuinty

Eamonn is currently pursuing a Masters degree at the University of Guelph. Eamonn is passionate about utilizing business as a force for good and developing comprehensive and responsible investment strategies in food and agriculture. He is extremely passionate about international work and wants to work towards safer and better ecosystems bridging all sectors together to solve the challenges we face.

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Sarah Piccini

Sarah is currently pursuing a Masters at Johns Hopkins SAIS. Sarah is passionate about building food systems that are inclusive, healthy and sustainable from farm to fork.

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2014/2015 Kirchner Fellows

Brianne Abramowicz

Brianne Abramowicz completed her MBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School concentrating in Entrepreneurship & Sustainable Enterprise in 2015.

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Erin Lenhardt

Erin Lenhardt completed her MBA program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2015. She served as co-chair for the Food, Environment, Agribusiness, and Development (FEAD) student group.

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Ryan O’Donnell

Ryan O’Donnell, is an entrepreneur and graduate of North Carolina State University. He has devoted his life to building teams and organizations that can significantly and sustainable impact our world.

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