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Board member elections are held every October and Board Members serve a 3 year term. The Board Members meet once a month to share a meal and discuss the Coop from the larger picture. They help guide the decision making power and work with the General Manager of the store.
Election Time
The Coop Member-Owners are invited to meet each October for updates on the Coop and vote on new Board Member positions. Each Member-Owner share receives one vote in the election.
Who's there?
The Board of Directors hosts a wide range of expertise and backgrounds. Business owners, previous executives, financial geniuses, community leaders, and more.
Our board of director's is an extremely motivated group of volunteers, elected from the general membership at our annual member meeting. They guide the long term vision of the Coop and the store's General Manager reports directly to them on the store's day to days.
Emily Elmore, President
Emily is from Berthoud, Colorado. She loves shopping at the Coop, and facilitating the board meetings. As president of the board Emily also chairs the Outreach Committee and is a part of the Governance Committee. Outside the Coop and her duties here she sells homes and land, spends time outdoors, loves cooking with friends, enjoying good wine, riding her bike and trying to see the world when possible! When asked what her favorite thing in the whole wide world is she answered, "love!". You can find her stocking up on local Haystack Mountain Goat Cheese, and SidWiggie's Ice Cream at the Coop. She also loves the co-operative model, and wants to look into Co-op housing around the Fort.
Stephanie Lerner
Stephanie is from nowhere in particular. She was born in Panama but also lived in Maryland, San Diego, Hawaii, Seattle and now Fort Collins. In her second term on the coop board she has served as secretary and vice-president, and is currently serving on the policy governance and the member outreach committees. Outside the coop she is a mom of 2 little boys, and likes to run, hike, camp, dance, travel, garden and just generally be outside. Adventures, at home or abroad, large or small she lives for adventures of all types. Her favorite local coop item? Well Bakti Chai because it's local, lovely and gives her a zip in her 'brain-dead' afternoons.
Jean Opsomer, Financial Liaison
Jean is a part of the Board of Directors as the Financial Liaison. Originally from Belgium but having lived in the US since 1986, Jean spent 12 years in Iowa before moving to Fort Collins in 2007. As the Financial Liaison, he works with the General Manager and the Board to ensure that the Coop remains in good financial health. Outside his duties on the Board he is a Professor of Statistics at Colorado State University. Jean's main topics of interest are surveys and environmental statistics. Riding his tandem bicycle together with his wife is one of his favorite past-times. As for a Coop favorite, well Jeans say "the 'cut-it-yourself' bulk local soap bars" are his favorite.
Meg Schiel
Meg Schiel has been on the Co-op's Board of Directors for the past three years, learning the ins and outs of governance policy. During her free time, you can find Meg eating delicious Coop deli sandwiches, riding her bike, or juggling two rambunctious children.
Emily Thorn, Secretary
Emily Thorn is also a member of the Coop Board of Directors as the Secretary and a member of the Outreach Committee. She is from Los Alamos, New Mexico (via Chicago, India, Honduras, Albuquerque, and Montana). Outside the Coop Emily is a Sociology PhD student at CSU studying social justice and equity within local and global food systems and post-disaster local food systems, urban agriculture, and food sovereignty in underserved populations. Some of her favorites are her dog Todd and Dr. Dr. Bronner’s Magic Peppermint Soap.
