Kathryn Ernst

After college, I came home to Colorado and worked for a family-owned bicycle tour company for a year. In 2005, I joined the Peace Corps, where I served for 2 years in the Dominican Republic as a Community Economic Development volunteer. My work in the DR with an organic coffee cooperative inspired me to research alternative supply chain models that benefit small-holder farmers in the developing world. When I came home from Peace Corps, I applied for the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise MBA (now called the Impact MBA), and was accepted into the 2nd cohort of students. During GSSE, I co-founded Organic Oasis, an aquaponics business whose family-sized units increase nutrition and income to bottom of the pyramid families in Lima, Peru via efficient vegetable and fish production. I graduated and quickly began working as Research Associate for the Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Enterprise for nearly 2 years. Then I moved into the Managing Director position where I was in charge of all marketing and communications, as well as new educational programs. In 2014, I began working directly for the GSSE MBA, and in 2018, I became the Director. In my current role, I am in charge of the growing portfolio of impact-oriented programming, strategy, new program development, and external relations.