Tell us about yourself, including any volunteer or professional experiences that might be relevant to board service. In particular, if you have any experience with oversight of an organization’s budget or financial performance, please include that information here.
I’ve worked for many years in nonprofit organizations and, for five years, as a worker-owner in a co-op (Equal Exchange - I love buying their coffee at TPSS Co-op!). My focus for the last 20+ years has been development and promotion of worker co-ops and other employee-owned businesses. I moved to the DMV (Takoma Park) in 2024 to take a job with the U.S. Department of Labor promoting employee ownership. As a nonprofit executive director, I had direct responsibility for two organization’s budgets. I’ve also been in oversight roles as a board member for several nonprofits and worker cooperatives.
Why are you interested in serving on the Board?
TPSS Co-op is one of the reasons I wanted to live in Takoma Park. As a new resident, I am looking for ways to connect to the local community. Also, I like being a board member! In my work, I have trained people and organizations in governance and how to create a strong board. A board role seems like a way I could contribute to the co-op and something I would enjoy. I’m also very interested in the expansion possibilities and excited about the possibility of TPSS Co-op helping to make a co-op grocery store available in a new community that wants one.
What is your favorite co-operative principle and why?
My favorite principle is Democratic Control (one-person / one-vote). My first encounters with cooperatives were 30+ years ago: as a member of Park Slope Food Co-op in Brooklyn, experiencing what it was like to work (volunteer) in the store and help it go; and as a worker-owner at Equal Exchange, selling fair trade coffee, connecting with farmer co-ops, and serving on the Board alongside mentors and peers. Through these formative experiences, I came to appreciate that fusion of OWNERSHIP and COMMUNITY that co-ops so good at creating. And I learned that being a co-op member gives everyone the opportunity to be a leader - their “one vote” makes that possible! I love helping to create an environment where members can exercise their vote, and more. Seeing people step up and take steps toward being their best selves (and creating our best communities) inspires me.
What does the expression “diversity and equity “ mean to you and why is it important in the context of an organization like the coop? How are the ideas of equity and diversity reflected in your everyday life?
For me, “diversity and equity” means people of different backgrounds (in terms of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and other things that enrich and often separate us) co-existing and collaborating in ways that are fair, inclusive, and attentive to the circumstances that brought each of us here. It means that those who have had fewer opportunities and privileges may get more encouragement or support to facilitate their full participation. It means that we can all bring our best. Diversity and equity are powerful ideas in the context of cooperatives, because of our focus on participation and democracy. We recognize real and perceived barriers to participation and create environments where all can contribute. Equity and diversity are reflected in where I choose to live and work every day and in my aspirations for the kind of person I want to be.
Check the following areas which you have experience
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Group process and/or group decision-making |
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Meeting facilitation |
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Public speaking |
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Writing newsletter articles |
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Strategic planning |
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Accounting and/or finance |
| Project management | |
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Online file sharing and calendars (Google) or website editing or management |
| Volunteer programs | |
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Past and/or present participation on a board of directors |
| Retail and/or Other Business experience | |
| Legal training and/or experience | |
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Equity, belonging, inclusivity and accessibility |
| Other |