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 have spent much of my career working at the intersection of community development, housing, and public policy, most recently as a Senior Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), where I helped design and implement programs supporting rural infrastructure, health, and economic opportunity. Prior to that, I served in senior roles at national nonprofit organizations, managing large federal and philanthropic grants, developing capacity-building initiatives, and working closely with local government and community-based organizations to strengthen local systems.
Through these roles, I gained experience with organizational oversight, including reviewing program budgets, ensuring accountability for grant outcomes, and supporting strategic planning and performance measurement. While financial management was not my primary responsibility, I have worked closely with executive and finance teams to align resources with mission and program goals.
I am now eager to apply this experience in service to my own community. Access to healthy, affordable food has been a long-standing personal and professional priority for me, one that aligns closely with the cooperative model’s values of shared ownership, equity, and sustainability. Joining the board would be an opportunity to contribute my policy, capacity-building, and partnership experience locally and to help strengthen the co-op’s role as a community anchor.
Why are you interested in serving on the Board?
I am interested in serving on the Board because it offers an opportunity for me to contribute my experience in community development while learning more about the operations and governance of a local food cooperative. I deeply value the cooperative model. Its emphasis on local ownership, democratic decision-making, and shared benefit feels especially meaningful in these times. Serving on the Board would allow me to support the co-op’s mission of expanding equitable access to healthy food while deepening my connection to the community.
What is your favorite co-operative principle and why?
My favorite cooperative principle is Concern for Community It captures what makes cooperatives so powerful - the idea that economic participation should also strengthen the social, environmental, and cultural fabric of a place.
During my time at USDA, I saw how cooperatives - especially rural electric, water, and food co-ops - strengthened local economies while ensuring access to essential services. Cooperative models are uniquely positioned to balance financial sustainability with social purpose. As a long-time member of our local food co-op, I’m interested to see how this principle is implemented through support for local producers, healthy food access, and reinvestment in our community.
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?
To me, diversity and equity mean ensuring that people from all backgrounds have a fair opportunity to participate, contribute, and benefit. Diversity is about representation; equity is about fairness and access.
In a cooperative, these values are especially important because co-ops are owned and governed by their members. A diverse membership helps ensure that a range of needs and perspectives are reflected in decisions, while an equitable structure helps all members share in the benefits and responsibilities of ownership.
In my own life, I try to live these principles by supporting inclusive community development efforts and local businesses, mentoring others, and working to expand access to housing, infrastructure, and healthy food through my professional and volunteer work.
Check the following areas which you have experience
| Group process and/or group decision-making | |
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Meeting facilitation |
| Public speaking | |
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Writing newsletter articles |
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Strategic planning |
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Accounting and/or finance |
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Project management |
| 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 |
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Retail and/or Other Business experience |
| Legal training and/or experience | |
| Equity, belonging, inclusivity and accessibility | |
| Other |