2026 Elections and Bylaw Changes
Co-op elections are here! Below you will find candidate statements, proposed bylaw changes, and information on how to cast your vote! Voting opens on Tuesday, October 27th at 7:30pm and closes on Monday, November 9th at 7:30pm.
Board of Directors Candidate Statements
Sheena Tesch, incumbent
How long have you lived in the Brattleboro Area?
3.5 years
When did you become a shareholder of the Brattleboro Food Co-op?
3.5 years ago
Why would you like to serve on the Board of Directors of the Brattleboro Food Co-op?
I currently serve on the Board, but my answer hasn’t changed much since I filled this form out the first time: Food is the most important thing to me. From growing up on food stamps and food pantries to becoming a farmer who still relied on the emergency food system, food advocacy is infused in all of my work. I believe in the cooperative model and I think that the Brattleboro co-op provides a unique and necessary role in the community. I think my experience as a farmer, shopper, and as the current operations manager of the Putney Foodshelf will help represent the interests of a lot of shareholders. Ultimately I want to be an asset to the Co-op as it is an asset to the community.
What experience or involvement have you had with the BFC or other cooperative enterprises?
I’ve served on the BFC Board for the past 2 years, and was Treasurer on the Chelsea Farmer’s Market Board. I have been a part of several small food buying clubs (old school co-ops), and I lived and worked on a farm that was legally a cooperative.
What opportunities or challenges do you see in the future for the BFC?
I think food costs are rising along with food insecurity. I often straddle the line between honoring the work of farmers financially and making sure fresh food is affordable. I think this is one of the biggest challenges in food. I also think that the BFC has a unique role for the unhoused
population of the town.
What qualities, skills, and experiences would you bring to your service as a BFC board member?
I’m curious and motivated. I enjoy collaborative work especially as it relates to local food systems. Previously I was Deputy Director of Rooted, Inc. in Madison Wisconsin, a nonprofit with a 2 million dollar budget, and I worked closely with the board to ensure the financial health of the organization.
Describe an experience where you worked on a team. What did you offer the team? How did you compromise for the team’s benefit?
Besides currently serving on the BFC Board, most of my work has been with a team. I find it helps break through stagnancy and create new and exciting visions when that is needed. I enjoy identifying what works and affirming the people and systems that keep things on track.
Liv Vogel-Eck, incumbent
Liv Vogel-Eck, incumbent
How long have you lived in the Brattleboro area?
I was born at home in Halifax in 1975 and raised here. I moved away after college and came back again 3 years ago.
When did you become a shareholder of the Brattleboro Food Co-op?
Around five years ago
Why would you like to serve on the Board of Directors of the Brattleboro Food Co-op?
The Brattleboro Food Co-op has been part of my family’s life for many years, going back to its original Flat Street location. After being appointed to an open Board seat earlier this year, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in meetings and committee work and gain a deeper understanding of the Co-op and its mission. I’ve truly enjoyed being part of the Board and would love the opportunity to continue contributing to the Co-op’s future and its important role in
our community.
What experience or involvement have you had with the BFC or other cooperative enterprises?
In addition to my recent experience serving on the BFC Board and participating in committee work, I bring a unique perspective as the co-owner of a local food business that has worked with food co-ops for many years.
Through Back Roads Granola, I have firsthand experience with the important role co-ops play in supporting local producers, strengthening local food systems, and building community.
What opportunities or challenges do you see in the future for the BFC?
I see a real opportunity for the BFC to evolve while staying true to its core values. We need to continue making thoughtful changes that keep us relevant and competitive, particularly as we compete with lower priced markets in our area and adapt to changing shopping habits and ad-
vances in technology. The challenge is finding that balance of embracing change and remaining financially strong while continuing to support local producers, serve our members, and preserve what makes the BFC unique.
What qualities, skills, and experiences would you bring to your service as a BFC board member?
As a local business owner and Head of Sales & Marketing for Back Roads Granola, I bring experience in the natural food industry, strategic growth, marketing, retail relation-
ships, and consumer trends. I am practical, collaborative, approachable, and comfortable bringing new ideas and asking questions. I also value listening and would welcome the opportunity to connect with members and make sure they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, concerns, and ideas with me.
Describe an experience where you worked on a team. What did you offer the team? How did you compromise for the team’s benefit?
As a co-owner of Back Roads Granola, teamwork is part of my everyday experience. I bring a sales, marketing, and customer perspective, while others may approach decisions from an operations, production, or financial perspective. I’ve learned the importance of being open to listening to others and seeing an issue from perspectives different from my own. I’m comfortable sharing my opinions, but I also recognize that my first choice isn’t always the best choice for the team. Being willing to listen, adapt, and compromise to reach the best decision for the company is something I truly value.
Optional: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us? Do you have other experiences that you see as being related to the work of the Board?
I have volunteered on other boards and have always enjoyed the opportunity to meet new people, hear different perspectives, and work together toward a common goal. I value being involved in my community and contributing my time and experience in a meaningful way. My time on the BFC Board so far has reinforced how much I enjoy this type of collaborative work, and I would be excited to continue learning, contributing, and building relationships
within the Co-op community.
Rob Levengood
How long have you lived in the Brattleboro Area?
32 years
When did you become a shareholder of the Brattleboro Food Co-op?
2014
Why would you like to serve on the Board of Directors of the Brattleboro Food Co-op?
As an employee of BFC I very much appreciate my workplace and the community I get to serve. I’ve been employed in the retail food cooperative industry for the past 31 years and I would consider it an honor to serve on the board of BFC, an organization I have highly regarded. I hope to bring components of my industry experience to help keep BFC financially sound, community centered and relevant for all who come through the doors.
What experience or involvement have you had with the BFC or other cooperative enterprises?
I’ve been employed in the retail cooperative grocery industry for 31 years, the past 11 at BFC where I am the Grocery Manager. I have worked at two other food coops in New England in various roles spanning duties from clerk to interim general manager.
What opportunities or challenges do you see in the future for the BFC?
I strongly believe BFC abounds with opportunities including: our talented staff (at all levels), a newer building now housing new equipment, a very vibrant and supportive community, strong relationships with local suppliers and other cooperative organizations and our alliance with
NCG. I feel our principal challenge is to stay financially healthy while continuing to be relevant to the community and shoppers we serve.
What qualities, skills, and experiences would you bring to your service as a BFC board member?
I feel I could bring to a board seat at BFC years of retail coop experience, strong organizational skills, an understanding of the policy governance process, previous board experience both seated on a board as well reporting to a board, ability to read and understand financial statements, empathy and a sense of humor.
Andrew Frost
How long have you lived in the Brattleboro Area?
6 years
When did you become a shareholder of the Brattleboro Food Co-op?
2026
Why would you like to serve on the Board of Directors of the Brattleboro Food Co-op?
The Co-op is one of the core building blocks of Brattleboro’s cultural and business ecosystem. It has also been central to my own relationship with the community, from when I came here to stay with my grandmother as a child to a deciding factor when we moved to the area in 2020. The BFC’s commitment to its employees, healthy food, and the broader community is both an inspiration and a critical asset. And I believe my experience will be helpful in continuing to strengthen it. I would also like to broaden my own board experience. I have served on the Next Stage Arts Board for the past five years, and would love to learn more about both the grocery space and the Co-op’s governance and policy board model.
What experience or involvement have you had with the BFC or other cooperative enterprises?
My experience with the BFC is as a customer. Having this business in our community brings me both joy and pride. I want to do my part to keep it thriving. While I do not have direct experience in cooperative business or grocery, I have many years of operations and governance leadership
experience in businesses ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies.
What opportunities or challenges do you see in the future for the BFC?
I believe that balancing affordability, quality, and commitment to community and climate is a tremendous challenge. This starts with running a healthy business, but is augmented through partnerships, strategic investments and community engagement. This is especially true in our current political climate, with uncertainty around the type of federal support that has helped the Co-op with past investments. Navigating these sometimes competing priorities is no easy feat, and having a strong board with a truly diverse background is critical to ensuring the GM has the support she needs. The two areas I’m the most passionate about are sustainability/resilience and culture. I believe that being a place people want to work is one of the most challenging and powerful strengths a business can build. This starts with culture and is further augmented by the pride employees and shareholders can carry knowing that the BFC is such an integral part of our ecosystem.
What qualities, skills, and experiences would you bring to your service as a BFC board member?
I have fifteen years of operations, process optimization, governance and team leadership experience. I also have a clear track record of quickly learning new industries and business models. I started my career as an actor, spent five years in high end retail before getting an MBA and shifting to marketing and operations. I spent six years at Fidelity, then another ten in consulting. During that time, I built teams, oversaw dozens of technology implementations and supported acquisitions on both sides of the “aisle.” In my last role, I ran operations for a $30M digital agency. I have also gone deep on AI in the past six months and can be helpful from both an architecture and governance stand point. Finally, I have five years of experience on the Next Stage Arts board, during two of which I was the Board chair. I led a five-year strategic planning effort and helped oversee an ED transition.
Describe an experience where you worked on a team. What did you offer the team? How did you compromise for the team’s benefit?
I thrive in team environments. Nearly every aspect of the work I’ve done over the course of my career has been team-oriented. I’ll speak here to the experience of running the five-year strategic planning effort at Next Stage. This started with a parallel track of winning support from both the Board and ED to tackle the work. We wanted to ensure we had truly unanimous support for the endeavor and the rationale behind it before jumping in. Once that was secured, we established a committee to lead the work. In this case, I led the team, offering both organizational and strategic structure. My primary role was an orchestrator, working to elicit the strengths from the rest of the team members, including the consultant we hired to drive much of the community outreach. I often compromised my own views or perspectives as we balanced input from staff, board and community. But the end result was a clear strategic plan that everyone felt they had helped to shape, and it still guides our direction today.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us? Do you have other experiences that you see as being related to the work of the Board?
I understand that the BFC Board is a governance and policy board which I believe plays to my strengths. I’m excited about the opportunity to support both the Board and GM in whatever way I can.
Bylaw Changes Recommended for Shareholder Approval
Article 5 – BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Current:
Section 5.10 – Termination. The term of office of a director may be terminated prior to its expiration in any of the following ways:
(a) voluntarily by a director upon notice to the Co-op;
(b) automatically upon termination of shareholder status in the Co-op;
(c) involuntarily, with or without cause, by action of a shareholder meeting;
(d) involuntarily for cause by a two-thirds vote of the Board after a fair hearing at which the
director is given the opportunity to speak and present evidence, provided that such person is
accorded a right of appeal at a shareholder meeting.
Proposed:
Section 5.10 – Termination. The term of office of a director may be terminated prior to its expiration in any of the following ways:
(a) voluntarily by a director upon notice to the Co-op;
(b) automatically upon termination of shareholder status at the Co-op;
(c) automatically for staff directors if no longer employed by the Co-op and/or for patron directors if applying for a position or employed by the Co-op;
(d) involuntarily, with or without cause, by action of a shareholder meeting;
(e) involuntarily for cause by a two-thirds vote of the Board after a fair hearing at which the
director is given the opportunity to speak and present evidence, provided that such person is
accorded a right of appeal at a shareholder meeting.
Rationale:
This change results in better alignment with Board Policy D.8.5, which among other things, clarifies what should happen when a staff director is no longer employed by the Co-op. Previously, a staff director leaving the Co-op would have to give notice that they were stepping down from the Board; with this change, that formality is unnecessary.
Article 11 – NOTICE
Current:
Section 11.1 – Notice. Any notice required under these by-laws shall be deemed delivered when deposited in the United States mail with names and addresses as they appear in the records of the Co-op.
Proposed:
Section 11.1 – Notice. Any notice required under these by-laws shall be deemed delivered when either emailed or deposited in the United States mail with names and addresses as they appear in the records of the Co-op.
Rationale:
This bylaw was written well before the dawn of email. For many years now, Co-op practice has been to minimize our use of paper and our printing/postal costs by communicating by email whenever possible, and when not possible, by using postcards that combine the notice of the vote and annual meeting.
The 2025 Annual Meeting entailed sending postcards to just under 3,200 shareholders at a cost of $2,600. Since then, prices have risen to 61 cents (postcard) and 78 cents (1 oz letter). We have not included information about recent proposed bylaw changes in the postcard as called for by Section 12.2.
How to Vote
This year we are using a program called Election Runner to facilitate voting. Every shareholder will be able to cast one vote on each issue through Election Runner.
