Kirsten Kakarigi joined the California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy (CFEE) in 2022 as Events Director. In this role, she leads the coordination, design, and execution of CFEE’s international study tours, policy forums, workshops, and in-house events, ensuring each experience is both seamless and impactful.

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Prior to joining CFEE, Kirsten spent more than a decade as the principal and lead planner of KMK Design, a Sacramento-based event planning company. During her tenure, she successfully produced hundreds of weddings, corporate functions, social gatherings, and nonprofit events across Northern California and beyond. Known for her creative vision, strong logistical expertise, and meticulous attention to detail, Kirsten built a reputation for delivering events that were both flawlessly executed and thoughtfully tailored to each client’s vision.

 

Beyond her professional work, Kirsten is deeply committed to community engagement. She volunteers with the Food Literacy Center, a Sacramento nonprofit dedicated to teaching low-income elementary school students essential cooking, nutrition, and gardening skills. She is also actively involved with the St. Sava Mission, where she serves on several boards and leads efforts to organize fundraisers and community events that support and preserve Serbian culture in the United States. Each summer, she returns to Jackson, California to manage the kitchen at the St. Sava Serbian Children’s Camp—an experience that reflects both her leadership and her deep connection to her heritage.

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Kirsten lives in the Sacramento area with her husband and their daughter. Outside of work, she enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, baking, traveling, tackling interior design projects, gardening, and continuing her never-ending search for the world’s best cheeseburger—currently held by the original Emmy Burger at Emily in Brooklyn, New York.