About Us.
Cureate is a woman-owned, food-tech company dedicated to empowering local communities by creating a sustainable and inclusive supply chain.
Meet the Team
Meet our incredible team of Cureators, connectors, storytellers, and advocates for building more resilient, local supply chains.
Kim Bryden
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Kim is an accomplished business development professional with expertise in strategy, marketing, and operations focusing on the food & beverage industry and economic development. Kim has consulted 400+ small businesses on growth strategy, building out diversified revenue streams, and identifying new market opportunities. In addition to her commitment to small business growth at-large, Kim’s expertise has led her to develop multi-sector, public-private partnerships across industries such as governmental agencies, food tech start-ups, and top Fortune 500 retailers and foodservice operators. Now she leads the growth of Cureate throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Heartland regions, as the business continues to grow nationwide. Kim is the Board Vice President of Ozark Natural Foods Coop, a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, and a member of the Sandbox Network. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Digital Media Management and Analytics from Georgetown University and a BA in Public Communication & Spanish from American University. Headshots for Kim Bryden linked here.
Stacey Simmons
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Stacey has over a decade of design, communications, UX/UI, and web development experience. She’s worked with a variety of clients including digital marketing agencies, healthcare systems, government agencies, and food & beverage businesses. In addition to 20+ years of experience in the restaurant industry, this makes her a perfect fit for the Cureate team! Stacey loves supporting the local DC community, in which she is both a homeowner and business owner. Stacey has a BFA in Fine Arts with a minor in Art History. Her user-centered design and development approach ensures that products are as functional as they are easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing.
Carson Sweezy
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Carson Sweezy is a Washington, DC Metro Area born and raised community builder and lifelong cook using food as a vehicle for connection and nourishment. After navigating Crohn’s disease and recovering from major surgery, he pivoted from real estate, finished his self-designed degree at William & Mary, and committed to building community through food and entertainment.
Cody Jacobs
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Cody Jacobs is a social entrepreneur motivated by compassion for people and the planet. She is the co-founder of Open Farmhouse, a space to farm, live, and create in Redding, CT and has worked for over ten years in economic development and food sovereignty. Cody has extensive experience hosting community events, from farm to table dinners to group mentor sessions, she is passionate about building connections. Previously, she worked for WE NYC, the official initiative of the City of New York to support and empower women entrepreneurs. She is also a photographer whose work has included experimental use of 35 mm film and documenting cooperatives in Cuba. Cody has experience in the cooperative movement as a founder, board member, worker, and researcher. Cody has a BA Honours in Anthropology and Minor in Photography from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. She has worked for multiple small food businesses and understands the importance of local procurement in creating an equitable food system.
Samii Sterrett
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Samii has had a passion for food for as long as she can remember and knew by the age of 10 that she wanted to become a chef. That passion led her to study culinary arts throughout high school, compete on Arizona’s culinary team, and eventually graduate from Arizona Culinary Institute in 2014.
After graduation, Samii gained experience across a wide range of foodservice environments, from fine dining restaurants to fast-paced quick service operations. Along the way, she developed a strong appreciation for both the culinary and hospitality sides of the industry, particularly the relationships and problem-solving involved in restaurant operations.
Eventually, Samii returned to my roots and launched her own personal chef business, where she combined her love of food, creativity, and client service to create memorable dining experiences.
After relocating from Arizona to Arkansas, Samii had the opportunity to connect with Kim and learn more about Cureate's mission. She immediately connected with the company's commitment to supporting food entrepreneurs and local food systems and was excited to join the team. Today, Samii bring both culinary and operational experience to my role.
Kelly Guglielmino
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Originally from NJ, Kelly has always enjoyed sports and being active. This passion continued through to college where she chose to study nutrition and exercise science. She then worked at local YMCAs and gyms implementing nutrition programs and supervising exercise to help members reach their health and fitness goals. She moved to DC with her husband and pursued other paths, but always stayed enthusiastic about food and nutrition. Her passion coupled with years of experience in administrative roles, led Kelly to Oasis Community Partners where she returned to the realm of food as an executive assistant to the director.
Emmanuel Vicuna
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Emmanuel Vicuna has more than 10 years of experience in administration, data management, and technical support escalations, and he is always able to provide effective solutions and quality of support, which can be considered a consistent indicator of his worth in a dynamic and high-paced environment. He has headed teams and worked on databases of large scale and has simplified operations to make operations more efficient. Having nothing to do with work, Emmanuel loves to play Magic: The Gathering and loves to play strategy games and it helps him to improve his skills in analysis and innovativeness, which supplements his professional knowledge.
Michelle (Micks) Sison
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Michelle, or “Micks”, is a versatile professional with over two decades of diverse experience across human resources, education, and aviation. She brings 5 years of expertise in recruitment, training, and employee engagement, 14 years as a flight attendant ensuring exceptional hospitality management in an international setting, and a year in education as both a teacher assistant and private tutor. Known for her adaptability, cultural competence, and strong interpersonal skills, Micks thrives in roles that require both precision and empathy. She is passionate about building connections, and delivering excellence in every endeavor. One last thing, she is a frustrated baker.
Nic Small
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Nic is an experienced full-stack software developer who has worked on corporate, government, and start-up applications. His most recent projects include a motor-vehicle safety platform, a streaming video service, and a real-estate transaction engine. As a passionate environmentalist, he is particularly interested in how our current food systems impact the world. He volunteers regularly with Food Rescue US, a national organization aiming to solve the problems of food waste and food insecurity at the same time. At Cureate, Nic supports a wide range of programming and software engineering needs.
Certifications
Women-Owned Business
Cureate proudly achieved certification through Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). This puts us – and therefore our Vendors – on the radar of even more large businesses and institutions looking to source from women-owned businesses.
Certified Business Enterprise (CBE)
The CBE program positions our business to better compete in DC government contracting opportunities. As an example, we co-created alongside the Department of Small and Local Business Development a centralized Toolkit for accessing resources, events and new business opportunities between DC-based small business owners and non-profit service providers.