Vanessa Gotthainer
Executive Director
Vanessa joined the Square Foot Gardening Foundation in October 2020 as the organization's Executive Assistant and was named the nonprofit’s Executive Director in January 2022.
She brings several decades of experience directing executive leadership offices for multinational financial institutions and management consultancy firms, in addition to holding roles in marketing communications. In support of the C-Suite executives for whom she worked, Vanessa helped plan and execute her firm’s participation at the World Economic Forum annual meeting (Davos) and the International Monetary Fund annual meetings.
Identifying a niche for virtual management of online enterprises, Vanessa launched an online consultancy in 2018. Her clients have included a pharma start-up advisory, international social movements, and a nonprofit foundation.
Having traveled extensively around the world, for the last 10 years Vanessa has primarily lived in Costa Rica as an expat, working with at-risk migrant communities. She holds a master’s degree in global affairs with a concentration in economic sustainable development and a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the Center for Global Affairs at New York University.
Kate Horbach
Project Manager
Kate joined the Square Foot Gardening Foundation team in April 2021. As our Project Manager, she supports our customer service and sales initiatives as well as the Certified Instructor, web development and grant programs at the Foundation.
Kate started her career as an assistant to the General Manager of an industrial supply e-commerce company, where she was promoted to Operations Manager. In her role with the Foundation, she is constantly improving our efficiency with her significant digital technology and data analysis skills.
Kate is a graduate of the Military Academy in Kharkov, Ukraine where she earned a master's degree in philology and translation.