2012 Board Elections
Meet the Candidates
This year the Co-op has five candidates running for three open board seats! Please see each candidate statement below. Voting will take place in-store at Customer Service from March 1-31, 2012.
Adam Gaska
I have served
on the board of Ukiah Natural Foods for 7 years. It has been a great
experience to be an active participant of our Co-op and would love for
the opportunity to continue.
Since the beginning of my time on the board, we have gone from 3,000 active members to well over 5,000. As we have grown, the board in concert with management has instituted a policy to escheat non-active members to help make the membership roles and the voting process more efficient. We have also just recently brought to the membership a bylaws amendment instituting a patronage dividend system which has replaced our at the register discount. While change can be painful, this is an important financial tool to make our organization more efficient and profitable. All of this is essential in making our move to a larger store, as outlined in our strategic plan, more viable. I would be honored to continue to be a part of this process.
Terry d’Selkie
I have been a Co-op
board member since 2003. I enjoy working with board members, the owners
and the staff to move us forward in our strategic plan, while
monitoring the progress we have made. I have experience in budgets,
human resources, planning, implementing policies and networking. I am a
good listener and able to negotiate with people of differing opinions
to achieve favorable outcomes.
I have interests in communication with owners, increasing Co-op involvement in creating/expanding our local foods system, offering healthy affordable foods that follow the guidelines of our merchandising policy, moving the Co-op strategic plan forward and increasing Co-op involvement in the community, especially schools – education is our future!
Joe Louis Wildman
I
have been serving on the Board of Directors of Ukiah Natural Foods
Co-op for the past seven years. I have over 33 years of experience
with organizational governance and finance.
Kathryn
Quanbeck
I have a strong background in food, agriculture,
economics and business and am actively involved in the development of
our local food system. I recently started my own business as an
agricultural consultant, specialized in sustainable livestock production
and small-scale meat processing. Prior to moving to Ukiah, I worked
for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, conducting economic analysis and
managing farm to school projects. I have a master’s degree in
agricultural economics (University of California-Davis) and a bachelor’s
degree in Spanish and Business (University of Colorado-Boulder). I
have experience in research, grant writing, project management, economic
development, community engagement and business planning.
I am particularly interested in carrying out some of the goals listed in the Co-op strategic plan. The Co-op is, in many ways, central to the local food system here in Mendocino County and I would like to see the store expand and grow. I would like to see the Co-op add a deli, butcher counter and expanded cheese section, so we can see more locally produced meats and cheeses at the Co-op. I am also interested in seeing the Co-op serve as an aggregation, light processing and distribution point for local farms and ranches. Let’s grow our local food system!
I am a member of many local and sustainable food focused organizations, including the Mendocino Food Policy Council, Community Alliance with Family Farmers, North Coast Regional Food System Network, Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education and the Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network. In addition, I am a production team member for Kitchen Table Talks, a monthly local food forum held in San Francisco. I am also a contributor to Civileats.com, a sustainable agriculture and food system blog.
Megan Watson
Community
health and access to nutrition and locally produced foods are issues I
am passionate about. I have eight years of experience working with
school and community gardens planting local orchards to address those
very issues! Collaborating with hundreds of organizations has shown me
how different communities can work together to create health and
nutrition.
We live in an awesome place and having a great Co-op that is financially sustainable and responsive to its members is an important resource we rely on and sustain together.
I would like to serve on the Ukiah Natural Foods board of directors to offer my passion and experiences with community outreach and all aspects of nonprofit management to keep our community resource healthy, creative, accessible, principled and evolving!
