Yale SOM and CitySeed: Learning Through Mission

CitySeed, a New Haven nonprofit that runs farmers markets and supports food entrepreneurs, brings together local produce and international flavors. At its markets, Connecticut-grown tomatoes and fresh-cut flowers are sold alongside aushak -- Afghan dumplings -- and other dishes prepared by vendors originally from Iraq, Nepal, Senegal, Syria and Afghanistan.

In 2004, a small group of residents established CitySeed to develop local farmers markets with a larger vision for the community. “It was really founded with the mission to improve our food system overall and to ensure everyone has access to healthy, sustainable food,” said Sarah Miller, the executive director of CitySeed.

Since then, that mission has expanded to include promoting economic development and encouraging sustainable agriculture. Today, CitySeed operates with a $1.6 million budget and runs three farmers markets during the growing season and one in the winter. To ensure that all city residents have access to fresh, locally grown food, the markets accept benefits from SNAP and WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children).

Over the past eight years, the nonprofit has added a culinary training program and a food business accelerator. Early-stage entrepreneurs participate in CitySeed’s incubation program, receiving training and using the nonprofit’s commercial kitchen to make their products.

The culinary students and budding entrepreneurs also sell their goods at the farmers markets. “It’s a place for them to test their products and earn initial revenue,” Miller said. “We also connect a lot of the vendors with the community, for instance, when people are looking for a caterer for a party.”

One of the most visible signs of growth is the 18,000-square-foot former factory in Fair Haven that CitySeed purchased in 2024. Plans are still in development, but the concept includes a major renovation to build shared commercial kitchens, a teaching kitchen, community space and staff offices. “I’m really excited about the potential of this project to foster economic development of this neighborhood, the city and the region,” Miller said.

As CitySeed grew, it deepened its ties to the New Haven community through a partnership with the Yale School of Management. Through Yale SOM’s Golub Capital Nonprofit Board Fellows program, MBA students are placed with local organizations to serve as non-voting members of their boards.

“It’s valuable to us because it’s a longer-term relationship than just a semester or a year,” said CitySeed Board Chair Christine Kim. “It’s also important, especially for the younger generation, to know what it’s like to serve on a nonprofit board.”

Jordan Vega, MBA ’25, joined CitySeed as a board fellow just as Miller was hired as executive director. During the leadership transition, Vega took an observer role and then volunteered to help with the capital campaign by joining the building and development committees.

Vega, a consultant with Monitor Deloitte, said the fellowship taught him how nonprofit boards operate. “Even the formality of running a board meeting, making sure that everyone’s ideas align, passing motions – just the way meetings are conducted was so different than corporate meetings I’ve been exposed to,” he said. “It’s a rare opportunity for someone in young adulthood to get exposure to serving on a board where members have much more professional experience. Having conversations with other board members -- and even just watching them -- was such a privilege that I didn’t take for granted.”

Kim said the board fellows helped CitySeed structure its capital campaign and craft a more compelling story for donors and grant applications. “We had been so focused on making payroll, helping farmers and assisting refugee chefs with family issues -- just putting out major fires -- that it was hard to step back and tell our own story in a way that resonates with other people,” she said.

Kim added that the fellows’ contributions had more impact than the work of a public relations firm CitySeed had previously hired to shape its fundraising messaging.

“It’s been gratifying to see our board fellows always ready and willing to step up and help and learn -- and they’re always thinking outside the box,” she said.

“We’ve seen that this type of engagement, one where the fellow is immersed in the organization long enough to truly understand its mission and culture, is particularly meaningful for both the fellow and organizations in our program,” said Sooah Rho, Yale SOM’s Golub Capital Board Fellows Program Director. “Fellows enter the program with an open mind about what kinds of projects they might support and eventually craft an impactful engagement through this immersion and support from the Program on Social Enterprise, Innovation and Impact (PSEII) and their organization.”

Henry Elliman, MBA ’22 and a former board fellow, helped CitySeed search for new space to expand programming and assisted with the nonprofit’s capital campaign.

“One of the learnings was the importance of sharing the stories and opportunities at CitySeed. We were known in the community for our farmers markets, but it was clear that

we needed to communicate some of our other programs. It was also about how to tap into the broader community of donors and grants to meet our goal, while being realistic about what it takes to grow the organization to the next level,” Elliman said.

He added that the fellowship connected him to New Haven’s community and food system. “It’s really an exciting place with a lot of people who are passionate about food,” he said. “There’s an incredible energy around the opportunities the community has to increase access to fresh food and to increase economic opportunity for the broader New Haven area.”

Elliman’s involvement didn’t end with his fellowship. After earning his MBA, he joined CitySeed’s board as a full member. His professional background spans food, logistics and technology. He is now the associate director of digital product innovation at HelloFresh, the meal delivery service. A chef trained at Le Cordon Bleu, Elliman has also managed logistics in disaster zones with World Central Kitchen. “He has a lot of different experiences that can inform different parts of our work,” Miller observed.

Elliman, who serves on the board’s development committee, was eager to continue working on the capital campaign for the new building. “To have another opportunity to contribute to that vision and build it with CitySeed was really exciting to me,” he said.

Miller said the board fellows have brought important perspectives for strategizing, especially during a period of growth and change for CitySeed.

“The ideas and expertise of Yale School of Management students are valuable additions to all of our conversations and planning,” she said.