Who we are
Meet The Board
Sara Cain
Sara Cain, vice chair, is a dedicated realtor, investor, and community advocate with a passion for improving local neighborhoods. As the team lead of Legacy Group at Coldwell Banker American Home, she helps clients navigate real estate with expertise.
Sara also co-owns Cain Home Solutions LLC, a construction company focused on quality home rehabilitations. Committed to community growth, Sara actively works to make a positive impact through volunteerism and local initiatives.
New Member Coming Soon
Coming soon...
Josh Perry
Josh Perry, treasurer, is a Senior Loan Officer at Revolution Mortgage, bringing over a decade of experience in the mortgage industry.With a strong background in both management and finance, Josh has helped hundreds of individuals and families navigate the path to home ownership with confidence and clarity.A lifelong member of the community, Josh is passionate about giving back to the place he calls home. His decision to join the board stems from a deep commitment to supporting meaningful, lasting change—particularly for those in need. He believes in the power of community-led impact and is always seeking opportunities to make a difference.
John Quinton
John E. Quinton, Jr., AIA, secretary, is an American Architect with a passion for architectural photography, art, design, music and philanthropy. Originally from Brockton, MA, John spent his childhood in North-East Kansas and graduated from Holton High School. He attended Kansas State University and received his bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1990.After graduating John began his architectural career with Franklin Frieze Boice, named by Architectural Record magazine as the Top Retail Architectural firm in the U.S. During John’s 25 years with the firm BRR Architecture, the staff of six grew to approximately 250 employees with ten offices across the United States.​John is currently the Owner of Studio Q, LLC, which was established with the purpose of positively impacting others through design. John provides various consulting and design services as well as volunteers time to support local non-profit and philanthropic groups.
Nikki Ramirez-Jennings
Nikki Ramirez-Jennings is a dedicated community builder with extensive experience in strengthening neighborhoods and supporting families throughout Topeka.Nikki has coordinated large-scale food distributions in partnership with Topeka Public Schools and Harvesters, launched a community-driven farmers' market for the Hi-Crest community, and built strong volunteer networks to address food insecurity and foster community connections.Nikki is passionate about creating sustainable solutions that bring people together, expand access to resources, and ensure that every family feels supported. She brings her skills in collaboration, grassroots engagement, and program development to advance the vision of the Central Topeka Grocery Oasis.
Robert Riley
Robert Riley, chair, graduated from Washburn University with a degree in art, business, and mass media and spent the first part of his career producing events that taught others to live sustainably.
He loves lending a hand and organizing complex ideas into workable, simplified systems, recognizing that most of the solutions reside in the wisdom of past generations who lived in greater harmony with the natural world.​
Robert has volunteered with several local organizations, including Meals on Wheels, his Neighborhood Improvement Association, and Shawnee County Food + Farm Advisory Board. Additionally, he and his partner founded and operate Full Circle Sustainability, a local food distribution service, demonstrating his deep commitment to addressing local food security.​​
Josh Wilder
Josh Wilder began his career sharing stories in and around his community in southeast Ohio for local news sources. Since relocating to Topeka in 2017, his work has been focused largely on inspiring and educating people to grow, preserve, and prepare local, fresh food through national sustainability media brands. In his current role at Ogden Publications in Topeka as the Director of Content, he oversees all of the company’s media output from stories in magazines such as Mother Earth News, to various online platforms such as podcasts, and social media video. Josh is a graduate of Ohio University with a degree in Graphic Design. More importantly, he has spent his lifetime learning from a variety of growers and makers across the Midwest. He endeavors to use those problem-solving skills to find solutions to obstacles in local food systems and beyond.
Lisa Williams
Bio Coming Soon...
Marge Aherns
Marge Aherns, board advisor, is a retired Veterans Administration social worker. Her volunteer activities have focused on voter rights, and social, economic and racial justice, especially through the League of Women Voters of Topeka-Shawnee County and Kansas, and her church. She lived a block and a half from the former grocery at Huntoon and Lane and began working on the problem of loss of accessibility to quality and fresh foods for her neighbors in 2018. Her concerns relate to justice and healthy equity.
