How we lead

Our Team

Kerry Brodie

MEET OUR TEAM

Founder & Executive Director (DMV)

Since founding Emma’s Torch, Kerry has had the opportunity to grow her leadership at the intersection of culinary arts and social advocacy. Kerry is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education, holds a Master’s in Government from Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor’s in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University. She is a recipient of a Gaudium Award from the Breukelein Institute, and was a 2020 JWI Woman to Watch.

Kira O’Brien

Chief Impact Officer (NYC)

Dr. Kira O’Brien is the Chief Impact Officer at Emma’s Torch, where she leads the organization’s culinary training program and social ventures, which include its cafés and catering enterprises. In this role, she ensures that every facet of the organization advances its mission: to equip refugees with the tools, confidence, and community needed to thrive through meaningful employment and education. Kira holds a doctorate from the Rutgers School of Social Work focusing on how experiential education fosters empowerment.