2023 Annual Meeting Registration is OPEN! Click here for info + registration + agenda!
ABOUT OUR BOARD
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.
The Co-op Board of Directors relies on two guiding documents for our work:
- First, our Bylaws guide our principles and processes. Shareholders must vote on any changes to Bylaws.
- Our Policy Manual defines the roles and responsibilities of both the General Manager and the Board of Directors. It enables the Board to focus on the larger issues, delegate with clarity, and oversee management’s job without meddling.
Our Board meets on the first Monday of the month from 5:00-7:30.
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 board@bfc.coop or 802-246-2820.
Click here for the most current news from the Board of Directors, including meeting minutes and agenda.
INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS?
Do you enjoy being a Brattleboro Food Co-op shareholder and supporting its values and role in the community?
Are you passionate about building our local food economy and advancing a cooperatively owned, democratically-run local business?
Are you a team player who would enjoy working with a group of respectful, thoughtful, and collaborative neighbors?
If you answered yes to these questions, we would value your participation on the Board.
Not sure you’re ready to commit? Click here to learn more about our application process and what’s involved in serving on the Board. When you are ready, please click here to fill out a “Statement of Interest.”
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!
You can reach the Board at board@bfc.coop.
Please stay tuned for an upcoming candidate info session, or stop by the BFC booth at Brattleboro’s Gallery Walk on the first Friday of each month. A Board member would be happy to chat with you and answer your questions!
Meet the Current Board of Directors:
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Jerelyn Wilson, President
Elected in 2021 for her 3rd term; term expires 2024 Jerelyn has been part of the BFC’s fabric since the very early days. She helped initiate and edit the first newsletter in the 80’s, served her first term on the Board in the 90’s, and is now completing her third term. Jerelyn applies her superhuman leadership skills to everything she does, not to mention her role as CEO at BuildingGreen, Inc., a 14-person company located in the Estey Organ buildings on Birge St. She doesn’t like to hang out at the periphery; she’d rather be in the core, seeing things from the inside. |
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Judy Fink, Vice President
Elected in 2021 for her 2nd term; term expires 2024 Judy’s working life bounced back and forth between NY and NH before she retired and settled in Dummerston, VT, in 2012, where she plans to stay. She taught elementary school, taught teachers, and founded and directed a farm program for a nonprofit. Food and farming are dear to her heart, and the BFC and local farm stands are where Judy shops and likes to hang out.
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Calvin O. Dame
Elected 2022 for his 2nd term; term expires 2025 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. |
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Anneka Kindler
Elected 2022 for her 1st term; term expires 2025 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. |
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Michele Meulendyk
Elected 2022 for her 2nd term; term expires 2023 Michele may be the only person in town who relocated to Brattleboro in search of a larger city (she moved from a small town in Alaska in 2021). However, she has quickly made VT her home. Michele is self-employed as a licensed, certified massage therapist and well-being coach. She has had prior board experience and has chosen to contribute her skills to the health of the BFC. We cherish Michele’s thoughtfulness and wisdom in her role as a new Board Director. |
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Vanessa Vadim
Elected 2022 for her 1st term; term expires 2023 Vanessa is dedicated to participatory democracy and social justice and is a small-scale, regenerative farmer and artist. She has joined the local food co-op as the first order of business in every place she’s lived. She also had the opportunity to visit and engage with various women, worker, and community co-ops worldwide, most memorably in Nicaragua in the late 80s. |
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Johanna Zalneraitis
Elected 2021 for her 1st term; term expires 2024 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.
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