The Board of Directors
The Brattleboro Food Co-op is a community-owned marketplace where all are welcome. The Co-op is democratically governed and overseen by a Board of Directors.
Contact Us Today! Elected by the shareholders, the Brattleboro Food Co-op’s Board of Directors comprises nine community members, of whom at least one and no more than two are Co-op staff. The Board is responsible for ensuring that the store is run in a way that is financially responsible, socially conscious, and genuinely responsive to the broad interests of our shareholders. However, the Board is not responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Co-op: instead, the Board provides support, strategic leadership, and oversight to its sole employee, the General Manager of the Co-op.
Our Board meets on the first Monday of the month from 5:00-7:45.
At each meeting, the Board of Directors evaluates three things: the work of the General Manager, their own work, and the health of the BFC. We schedule time at the beginning of each meeting for Shareholders to provide input.
If you would like to attend a meeting, please get in touch with us at [email protected] or 802-246-2820.
If you answered yes to these questions, we would value your participation on the Board.
Not sure you’re ready to commit? You can learn more about our application process and what’s involved in serving on the Board. When you are ready, please fill out the “Statement of Interest.”
If you need more information or have further questions, please schedule a time to talk with one of us; we’re always happy to answer your questions and share our passion for our Board participation!
Michele arrived in Vermont in the spring of 2021 in search of warmer weather, more access to amenities, and fresher food. Once she’d re-established her massage therapy business, she began looking for ways to engage with her new community. Following a few volunteering stints, she saw that the local Co-op needed candidates for the Board of Directors. Having served on the Board of her local Arts Council in Seward, Alaska, and the Alaska chapter of the National Education Association, she saw this as an opportunity to serve in her new community. Over the past few years, Michele has grown more passionate about cooperative business structures and recently accepted the role of Board President.
Denise works as the Administrative Assistant at Brattleboro Area Hospice. She dedicates much of her time to supporting groups and organizations she holds dear in town, including the Brattleboro Tree Advisory Board, the Brattleboro Charter Review Commission, and Vermont Insight Meditation Center. Denise’s calm demeanor and active listening skills are values her Board colleagues cherish.
A resident of Windham County since the early 1990s, Kevin brings a wealth of experience to the Co-op Board from his work at SIT and SEVCA, where he served as the statewide administrator for Vermont Every Eats, a program that helped over 300 restaurants, 200 farms and food producers, and 150+ community organizations around the state survive during the pandemic. He is particularly adept at understanding and demystifying the financial aspects of the organizations he works with.
Johanna recently became a homeowner in Brattleboro after renting for almost two decades. She grew up in MA, had family ties to Brattleboro, and increasingly spent more of her time here. She remembers the BFC in its early scrappy days, became a member early on, and is a cheerleader shareholder. Johanna works in retail grocery. This is her first term as a Board Director.
Anneka moved to Brattleboro 20 years ago and has been a BFC shareholder and active shopper from day one. Some folks in the area may know her as the former owner of the Twilight Tea Lounge, and she’s also worked as a legal assistant, education policy researcher, and web designer. She is currently working in publishing at Echo Point Books.
Calvin’s heart has been in VT for so long, though he’s moved away for various periods in his life. He recently retired from his work as a Unitarian Universalist minister and moved to Brattleboro because of its strong sense of community with people who value sustainability and resilience. Calvin was a participant of the Plainfield Co-op in the 1970’s. He likes to build things in his spare time and is currently building a boat. With his vast experience on committees, boards, and nonprofits, Calvin is a welcome new Board Director.
You may know Evan from our Grocery Department or from when he used to work at Dottie’s Discount. A long-time Vermont resident, Evan has twenty years of retail and management experience, including 15 years in the grocery/co-op industry as both a vendor and retailer. He holds degrees in both biology and chemistry and is committed to helping the Co-op achieve its sustainability goals. He loves to come to work each day and contribute to the smooth running and success of our Co-op.
Sheena joins the Board with a deep-rooted commitment to food advocacy, shaped by their experiences farming all over the country, living on a cooperative farm, and serving on the leadership team at a food- and land-based nonprofit in Madison, WI. As the current operations manager of the Putney Foodshelf, Sheena is passionate about balancing fair compensation for farmers with ensuring affordable access to fresh food and recognizes the challenge of managing rising food costs in a time of food insecurity.
As a regular co-op shopper who relocated to Brattleboro from Philadelphia five years ago, Lee is deeply invested both personally and professionally in creating a sustainable local food economy. Lee recognizes that conveying the value of investing in regionally and responsibly sourced food to consumers amidst a growing industrialized food system presents both a challenge and opportunity for the Co-op. Lee’s personnel and operational leadership experience with Food Connects, where he serves as Deputy Director, as well as his perspective as a multiracial member of the queer community, will be valuable assets to the BFC.
