Faculty

Fueled by a passion to elevate diversity in consumer investing along with an unconventional operating-centric playbook, Melissa launched Fenwick Brands, where she currently serves as Founding Partner. Fenwick Brands is a female-led, consumer growth equity firm located in Birmingham, Alabama. Fenwick partners with compelling brands where their capital and operating expertise can translate into an active, value-added role and accelerate brand momentum. Their current portfolio includes well-known, mainstream brands Madison Reed, Lemi Shine and Ursa Major. Prior to Fenwick, Melissa spent her 25+ year career as an operator, successfully growing and exiting challenger brands to strategics, and remains energized by the founder’s journey. Her industry experience is diverse, having been on the of entrepreneurial brands to leading and managing private equity-backed and publicly traded companies to acquisition. Irrespective of size, category or market opportunity, Melissa embodies a passion for emerging brands on the cusp of breakthrough and is personally committed to rolling up her sleeves with founders and management teams to unlock unrealized value.

For more than three decades, Don has tried to provide every client with three basic services: to find cost-effective solutions to legal problems; to offer advice that is direct and practical; and to keep the parties involved in any negotiation focused on their common business objectives. He believes that a lawyer is effective only if he can protect his clients’ interests without frustrating their business judgment.

Gigi is a Managing Partner at BFY Capital, a privately owned debt financing company focused on providing growth capital to “better for you” consumer brands in the food, beverage, beauty and wellness sectors to support scale and growth with minimal dilution. She is the Founder of Plum Organics, was CEO of the national children’s environmental health non-profit Healthy Child Healthy World and founding Managing Director of food ecosystem accelerator FoodFutureCo. Named one of the top women leaders in the “future of food” by Forbes and a top dealmaker and influencer in consumer food and beverage by CircleUp, Gigi is a frequent speaker on social enterprise, sustainability, impact investing and entrepreneurship.  Recent speaking engagements include Nutrition Capital Network, SXSW, FoodVision, FoodTank Summit, EscaBona, and FounderMade.  She is an advisor, board member and mentor to numerous early stage companies.  Her philanthropic and board affiliations include Venture for America, Naturally New York and One Green Thing.

Alli applies her lifelong interest in quality, responsible food to help clients protect and grow their “good for you” food and beverage brands. She uses her passion and diverse experience to help evaluate opportunities, proactively assess risks, and guide clients as they respond to legal actions. From working the fields on an organic farm to a fellowship at Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic, her roots run deep.

Named Forbes 30 under 30 and BBC’s 100 Most Inspiring Women, Betsy has over a decade of experience as an inventor, product founder and CEO. Betsy serves on the Tufts School of Nutrition and Policy Innovation Council and her company, Tiny Organics, has been chosen by Michelle Obama’s Partnerships for a Healthier America for their baby food initiative to support veggie-forward early palate development across the nation. Betsy serves on Mrs. Obama’s Shaping Early Palates Board. In addition to her efforts to propel food equity, she was also chosen by the Obama administration to serve as an entrepreneurial ambassador for the US Embassy to other countries. Betsy enjoys building great brands and has invented over 100 products and counting. She is a keynote speaker and has spoken at Google, CES, World Economic Forum, National Retail Federation, the first Pet Tech summit in North America and served as a Judge at the MIT Startup Competition. Having raised millions for her startups, she has brought on over 40 vendor and retail partners for her companies, including telecoms.

Christy is the founder of Honey Mama’s, makers of the one-of-a-kind refrigerated cocoa truffle bars changing the status quo for indulgence. A lifelong believer in food as a source of physical and mental wellbeing, Christy founded Honey Mama’s in 2013 as a mission-driven company dedicated to sharing delicious and nourishing treats that also inspire wellbeing and vitality. From her early beginnings at the Portland Farmers Market, Christy has grown Honey Mama’s to a beloved, category-defying line of bars available at more than 3,000 retail locations nationwide and online. Growing up in a family of cooks, bakers, and gardeners, the kitchen was always a source of creativity and joy for Christy. Her culinary background paired with a personal health journey inspired the creation of Honey Mama’s, which remains a driving force for the company to this day. She believes nourishing, whole food ingredients can change lives, bringing more joy to the world one delicious and satisfying moment at a time. Prior to launching Honey Mama’s, Christy was an owner of Blue Gardenia Bakery and Coffee Roasting Company. She resides in Portland, Oregon.

Michelle is a strategic growth leader who has led mid-sized, mission-driven CPGs to national prominence. After spending twenty years scaling companies such as Dave’s Killer Bread and Kettle Brand Potato Chips, Michelle knows what truly drives growth, and it’s not about cranking out the latest TikTok video. It’s about taking a brand’s unique strengths, fusing them with real-time data and executing a growth plan with relentless focus. Michelle is currently the VP Marketing at Herb Pharm where she leads the #1 brand of liquid herbal supplements, a category that is exploding in the omnichannel landscape. Michelle serves on the boards of Jacobsen Salt Co., The No Bake Cookie Company, and VertueLab and is an advisor to Cascade Spirits. Michelle is a graduate of the University of Michigan and lives in Camas, Washington, with her family.

Jesse Lyon helps food, beverage, alcohol, and agriculture companies find and realize business opportunities and solve complex challenges. With firsthand experience on his family’s farm, advanced degrees in agricultural economics, and a deeply focused legal career spanning over 20 years, his exceptional knowledge helps food, beverage, and agriculture clients thrive. He helps alcohol beverage businesses grow through strategic and practical counsel, particularly with regard to multi-state distribution and tied house laws.

Meghan advises clients on supply chain matters, acts as general counsel and assists with mergers and acquisitions for clients in the food, beverage, agribusiness, manufacturing, outdoor/apparel and distribution industries. Meghan focuses on providing practical advice and understanding the business objectives for the deal at hand.

Carolyn has over a decade of experience as a supply chain and operations expert in the CPG industry. Formerly running operations at brands like FIJI Water and Beyond Meat, she is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Tiny Organics, an early childhood nutrition company focused on shaping baby and toddler palates to prefer vegetables. Carolyn has been recognized by Partnership for a Healthier America as a member of their Shaping Early Palates Council and is a founding partner of the Veggies Early and Often Campaign. She has a passion for mentoring entrepreneurs through her startup advisory company, The Xavier Co.

Amanda is passionate about having a positive impact on our food system and growing access to healthy and sustainably-grown foods. She has over 25 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, with a focus on building enterprise, customer and consumer value through authentic and transparent brands, delicious quality foods, and regenerative agriculture practices that resonate with consumer desires for health and wellness. Amanda is currently Chief Marketing Officer at Agriculture Capital, where she is responsible for leading marketing and strategy to maximize investments across Agriculture Capital’s global portfolio. Agriculture Capital is a regenerative agriculture investment firm that invests in permanent cropland and synergistic midstream assets to create a vertically integrated enterprise that grows, packs and markets high-value produce. Amanda’s experience in marketing, general management, and communications includes a unique combination of building global brands, innovative startup businesses, retail consumer brands and differentiated specialty produce. Prior to Agriculture Capital, Amanda served in executive Marketing roles for leading mission-driven brands including Numi Organic Tea, Annie’s Homegrown, and Safeway O Organics. Earlier in her career, Amanda managed strategic businesses and innovation at Nestle, giving her insight into building brands and connecting with consumers on a global scale. Amanda has a BA in Geography from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management. Amanda also serves on the Promotion Committee of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and on the Board of Directors for Simple Mills.