The team
Meet our creative community of professionals from various disciplines—who are passionate about our planet, sustainable agriculture and the empowerment of young and beginning farmers.
Nirmala Narine
Nirmala’s roots stem from a tribe of master rice growers from Northern India who immigrated to Guyana, a small South American nation with strong Caribbean roots.
This is where she grew up with her extended family and learned to cook as a young child with no running water or electricity, as well as to build soils, curate seed, and spice libraries, and build berms to create rice paddies. Little did Nirmala know, back then, that she was seeding her future.
Nirmala is the founder of Nirmala’s Kitchen; a social entrepreneur who procure spices from small farmers around the world.
She is the author of multiple travel-memoir cookbooks, and host of Nirmala’s Spice World, globally syndicated in eight languages, and Nirmala uses it as a platform to send her message of positive change through mindful Ayurveda living and healthy eating habits.
Shannon Finely
Shannon Finley is a founding partner of Capitol Counsel LLC. She brings to the firm nearly 20 years of experience in politics and policy in Washington, D.C. Finley manages Capitol Counsel’s Senate practice where she is known for her strategic counsel on issues ranging from tax to health and politics. Her client base cuts across industries and includes key trade associations, Fortune 100 corporations, non-profits, and issue-based coalitions. She was named one of the Top Lobbyists in Washington by The Hill in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Shannon served as the executive director of the American Indian College Fund, a national non-profit that raises scholarships for students attending the 31 tribally-controlled colleges. The National Selection Committee for the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and was a participant in the 1995 Class of Ambassadors, a leadership program sponsored by Americans for Indian Opportunity in coordination with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Beth Pomper
Beth Pomper is a marketing professional with 30 years of progressive leadership experience in support of global business activities, with expertise in food and beverage products and supplier diversity. She composed the Strategic Export Plan for the State of Delaware and has worked to implement it since 2014.
Before her work with Export Delaware, Beth launched the first Supplier Diversity initiative for Canada and the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service. She serves as Delaware’s representative on the Global Cities Initiative, as well as the Advisory Council of the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia.