I want to start this month by thanking those who are running for the Board of Directors. Core to our identity as a cooperative is the principle of democratic member control, so it is important that we have engagement from our shareholders that enable us to have meaningful elections. We are happy to share that we have seven candidates for five open positions this year each of whom provides our shareholders with different skills and perspectives to choose from. More information about candidates is available and voting is just a couple of weeks away. Our Annual Meeting is November 9, and I am excited to say that we already have over 130 shareholders registered to attend. Our total attendance last year was 160, and we are on track to exceed that number by a large margin. If you have not yet registered you can do so . We look forward to seeing you!
Board of Directors
Meet the Board – John H.
John Hatton is probably a familiar face to Co-op members; he’s been on the Board of Directors twice before, was the Board President when we decided to build our new building. Before his current profession as a Realtor at Berkley & Veller, John was at Northeast Cooperatives until its demise, working with the member Co-ops who owned the cooperative natural foods’ warehouse. He’s happy to say that when he and his family moved to Brattleboro from Connecticut, he realized that this is his place, and he doesn’t need to consider living anywhere else.
Board Looks Ahead
You may or may not be familiar with the fact that the Brattleboro Food Co-op Board and the General Manager operate under a set of guidelines called Policy Governance. Under these guidelines, the General Manager is responsible for all day-to-day operations of the Co-op while the Board is responsible for hiring, overseeing and supporting the General Manager. The work of the Board for the last year has been dominated by the search for and hiring of a new General Manager. We could not be happier with having found and welcomed Lee Bradford. Going forward, our immediate responsibility is to assist and support Lee in his first year with us. The good news: Lee is off to a great start!
BOD Meeting Agenda: July 2022
Brattleboro Food Co-op Board of Directors Meeting Agenda
Co-ops Change the World: An inspiring and educational speaker series
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The cooperative business model is a key solution in creating a more democratic and egalitarian global society. Join us to learn more, get inspired by what co-ops have brought to our collective table, and dream about the better world they will help us create.
Meet the Board! Yoshi
As of December 2021, Yoshi Manale is the new Brattleboro Town Manager! And as you’ll read below, he immediately became a Co-op member, and expressed an interest in joining the Board of Directors. As it happened, the Board had a vacant seat to fill, so Yoshi was appointed, and is now a BFC Director. Yoshi has been acclimating to our town and Vermont, making new friends, hiking/skiing local trails, attending shows at the many performing arts locations around town, and enjoying the variety of food choices.
Calvin Dame: Board of Director Interview
Calvin Dame was elected to the Co-op Board of Directors last November for a 1-year term. As you’ll read below, Calvin is a retired Unitarian Minister, and served for eight years on the Unitarian Universalist Association’s National Board of Trustees.
Board of Directors Meeting: February 2022
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes: January 2022
New Board Member Appointed
The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that it has appointed Yoshi Manale to fill the remainder of Steffen Gillom’s term on the Board (term expires 2023). Here is Yoshi in his own words, from the statement of interest he submitted to the Board. Welcome, Yoshi!
Board of Director Interview Nick Dickison
Nick Dickison joined the Brattleboro Food Co-op as a shareholder-owner in 2018. Nick is currently working in the kitchen, a job that they’ve done for most of their working career. Last year, they accepted an appointment by the BFC Board to fill out another staff Director’s term, as the 2nd staff shareholder on the Board; the BFC bylaws require at least one staff Board member, but no more than two. As Nick says, they’re learning as they go about being on the Board of Directors.
