Fatuma Emmad

Co-Founder and Executive Director 

Head Farmer

Fatuma Emmad is the CO-Founder, Executive Director and Head Farmer of FrontLine Farming. She serves as President of Mile High Farmers and is a Co Convener for Project Protect Food Systems Workers. She is a lecturer in the Masters for Environmental Studies Program at CU Boulder. Before becoming a farmer, Fatuma was a political scientist who engaged in issues affecting  farming communities such as the push for genetically modified seeds across Southern and Eastern Africa.

JaSon Auguste

Co-Founder and Director of Marketing, Media & Technology

JaSon a founding member, Director of Marketing, Media & Technology, and Assistant Farm Director.  JaSon serves as Vice-President for the Mile High Farmers as well as the the BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) Policy  representative on the National Policy Committee for the National Young Farmers Coalition. In addition to farming, he is an artist who has focused on visual and graphic arts for the majority of his professional career.

Dr. Damien Thompson

Co-Founder and Director of the Center for Healthy Communities

Damien Thompson, PhD the Co-Founder and Director of the Center for Food Justice and Health Communities. He also is the Sustainable Food Systems Specialization Lead for CU Boulder’s Masters of the Environment Program. In addition to his training in anthropology, Dr. Thompson also holds a certification in Permaculture Design, an Advanced Permaculture Design certification and a 200-hour Yoga Alliance Teaching Certification.

Kassandra Neiss

Data Activist and Systems Manager

Kassandra Neiss, or Kasey, is the Data Activist and Systems Manager. Kasey holds an MA in cultural anthropology from the University of Denver and a BA from Hampshire College in US ethnic studies and oral history. She also owns her own research consulting company and has taught anthropology at Community College of Aurora, Colorado. Kasey is newer to farming, but has taken to beekeeping for FrontLine.

Jessica Caouette

Business Operations Manager

Jessica Caouette is the Business Operations Manager. Jessica finished her BSBA with DU's Hospitality Management program in 2010 and back in Denver in mid 2011, she started The Denver Bicycle Cafe with an old friend and owned and managed it for 8 years until November 2019.  Her skills in budget management, bookkeeping and business systems come in handy as FrontLine grows with its community.

Josh Yuen-Schat

Education Programs Manager

Josh is the Education Programs Manager. He began at FrontLine as a farmer after graduating CU's Master of the Environment program. Josh has a been in youth education for many years and brings this experience to his work at FrontLine. He also manages the compost program at our farm in Arvada including vermicomposting.  

Alexis Albanez

Assistant Farmer and CSA Manager 

Alexis is the Assistant Farmer at Majestic View Farm and CSA Manager. Alexis farms our crops, is expanding our mushroom growing, coordinates schedules for our team, and manages the packaging and logistics of our CSA and markets. She is such a valued part of the heart-centered work we do at FrontLine, always working to grow food and relationships within our community. Alexis is an indoor and outdoor farmer with additional experience with parks and recreation. 

Josh Wise

Manager of Food Access Programs

Sydonne Blake is the Communications Coordinator and Grant Writer. She is a regenerative grower, educator, and visual storyteller. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia. Her passion centers around promoting healing within BIPOC communities through reestablishing reciprocal relationships with nature, our traditional foodways, and each other.