Kimberly Jung builds and leads teams from the ground up. While serving in the US Army, Kim was an engineer officer who led a route clearance platoon in Afghanistan in 2010-2011. As a female engagement team member of a provincial reconstruction team, she helped to empower Afghan village women.
In 2014, Kim co-founded Rumi Spice, a social enterprise laying a foundation for peace in Afghanistan through saffron farming. Rumi works with over 300 Afghan farmers and employs thousands of women across three processing facilities. In 2016, Kim and the other co-founders appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank, where they negotiated a successful deal with Mark Cuban. Since then, Rumi has graced the tables of Michelin-starred restaurants and sells 12 spice blends nationally through Whole Foods.
She is currently CEO of Blanchard House, a narrative-style nonfiction podcast publishing team made up of former BBC and Economist radio journalists.