The Story of Kas by Kas.
“Kas by Kas.” These three words are part of an Amharic phrase that translates directly to, “The egg, step by step, moves by legs,” wherein an egg, full of promise and potential, will eventually transform into a chicken.
The portion, "step by step" stuck with Kathryn throughout her three years in Ethiopia. It truly captured the spirit of the agricultural entrepreneurial projects she was working on. It was a friendly reminder to stay patient since transformation does not happen overnight. It came to be a term that was synonymous with the challenges and rewards of the international development projects she was a part of.
In 2016 Kathryn returned home to Utica, New York knowing that she wanted to remain engaged in meaningful work. She founded Kas by Kas Consulting to provide both proposal and program support services to international development companies as well as strategy, organizational efficiency and grant writing services to organizations in Central NY. Whether her clients’ work is based in Central NY or abroad, Kathryn’s targeted support allows clients to enhance their impact and more effectively transform livelihoods, every step of the way.
A Unique Combination of Program and Proposal Experience.
Kathryn is a dynamic consultant with over nine years of experience working in the international development industry, primarily on entrepreneurial ventures. During her three years living in Ethiopia, Kathryn worked as a program officer and program manager for Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA). She was responsible for start-up, recruitment, work planning, staff capacity building, and client management. She oversaw all daily work related to project implementation to ensure that targets were met, that deliverables were submitted on scope and on time, and that project activities and finances were compliant. In her most recent role for CNFA in Ethiopia, she was responsible for leading the €800,000 GIZ-funded Ethiopian Farm Service Center Project, which established three private, Ethiopian-owned agricultural input supply businesses (Farm Service Centers – FSCs) that linked smallholder farmers to the products and knowledge required to increase on-farm production. As of December 2017, after one and a half years after initial investment - and following a comprehensive range of business management and technical training support from the project - the three FSCs reached over 20,000 smallholder farmer customers, leveraged over €365,000 in private investment and generated over €250,000 in sales.
As a program development officer, also for CNFA, Kathryn was part of a small team based in Washington, DC, that successfully developed agricultural development proposals for 15 programs on three continents, adding over $75 million to the company's portfolio. She was responsible for managing the overall proposal preparation process from capture through submission. She also supported program design, writing, recruitment, partnering, and budgeting. As a program development representative in Ethiopia, Kathryn leveraged this experience and was the lead writer and designer for $4 million in new programs that aimed to establish private, Ethiopian-owned agricultural input supply businesses.
Professionally, Kathryn's personal strengths include multitasking; working under tight deadlines; maintaining a positive work ethic and attitude; and collaborating with local staff, home office staff, and senior management.
More About Kathryn.
Kathryn obtained a BA in History from Loyola College in Baltimore, MD, which included one year of studying at the Catholic University in Leuven, Belgium. She is also a participant in Leadership Mohawk Valley, class of 2019.
Outside of work, Kathryn is an avid participant in outdoor events that raise funds and awareness for causes she is passionate about. In 2012, she participated as a rider in Bike and Build’s Providence to Seattle route where she cycled over 4,000 miles and was part of a group that collectively raised more than $40,000 for the affordable housing crisis in the US. In the Central New York area, she participates annually in the 85-mile Ride for Missing Children and the 63-mile Brody's Buddy Ride. She also participates in the Adirondack Canoe Classic, a 90-mile canoe race that supports the environmental protection and conservation efforts of the Adirondack Watershed Alliance.
Beyond cycling and exploring the Adirondacks, Kathryn also enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling and seeing live music.