Founder, Head Beekeeper
Trained in bread, pastry and desserts during 10 years in the food industry, in 2015 David opened Betty Rae’s Ice Cream in the Waldo neighborhood of KCMO. The ice cream shop had an instant rise in popularity, and continues to be the ice cream of choice in Kansas City. In three years David and wife Mary Nguyen opened two brick and mortar establishments as well as launching an ice cream truck which ran 7 days a week, from March to December. They also had three children, because they don’t know when to stop.

Having sold the business in 2021, David finally had more time for children and bees. Following after his uncle and great uncle, who kept hives for decades in California and Ohio, David’s been keeping honey bees for 10 years. He can vividly remember his first time standing in a cloud of bees, a swarm hive on his uncle’s property. The feeling is electrifying, the buzzing drone is captivating and the impulse is to run for safety but you have to keep calm and move slow, which becomes an almost meditative practice. He was also wearing shorts at the time, which will not happen again.

David founded Bee KC in 2021 to help increase the honey bee and native bee populations in KCMO, and to spread love of these animals. When not messing about with bees he spends time with the kids, plays drums, enjoys gardening, baking and chess.

Board President
A Kansas City native, Matt has built a career in nonprofits his entire professional life, most recently as a relationship manager at The Builder’s Association. Matt and wife Natalie have two young children and together own and operate Cloudy Day Cookies, highly recommended for anyone with a sweet tooth! Matt looks forward to helping guide KC into the future in any way he can, making a healthier, more equitable and thriving city.

Board Vice President
Sarah was raised in Topeka, Kansas where she completed her bachelor’s in science in Biology before moving to Baltimore, Maryland to acquire her master’s degree in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. She then returned to the Midwest to begin her medical training as a physician at Kansas City University, after which she will focus on taking care of and treating individuals living with autoimmune diseases and other immunological conditions.

She has always had a great appreciation for bees and their impact on human health and continues to educate herself on the history of beekeeping and the use of apitherapy (bee products) in medicine.

Outside of her academic studies, Sarah enjoys spending her time baking and cooking, attending local farmer’s markets, going for walks and hikes, and teaching Latin with Greek and Roman Mythology.

Board Secretary
A residential and commercial inspector & electrical apprentice by trade, Raul and his wife Crystal Guerra have three lovely children and together own Tamaleon KC. Tamaleon is a food truck specializing in Mexican cuisine, and if you’ve ever had it you’ll not forget it. If you haven’t had it, track it down ASAP! Thank us later.

Raul has a background in marketing and public affairs, most recently for KCP&L/Evergy, where he spent most of his time working with area low-income families on billing assistance and grants. When not intensely watching Chiefs games, he spends a lot of time with his kids, pursuing environmental volunteer work, seeing live music and finding new food in town. If you need any recommendations on where to eat, this is the guy!

Board Treasurer
Born and raised in Kansas City, Alex traveled around the midwest from St. Louis to Iowa City, and back to Kansas City in order to acquire the skills that now allow him to work with the wonderful palliative care team at North Kansas City Hospital. Working every day with people dealing with serious illnesses and facing their own mortality helps Alex stay focused on what's most important in life: spending time with people you love, giving something good to your community, and eating really, really good food.

Since Alex wants the people in his hometown to have a healthy community with lots of good food to eat, he understands the need for more healthy, happy bees! He is delighted to be able to support the work of Bee KC in caring for our hard-working and generous little winged friends, spreading the gospel of honey, and making new connections with like-minded people who understand that what's good for the bees is good for KC.

Casey is a great volunteer who has helped us build hive stands, paint hives, and installed bees on the Tom’s Town rooftop. Even better, she convinced her partner Michael to join for an extra set of hands and some amazing photography!