ABOUT THE PLAINFIELD CO-OP BOARD

As the main, ongoing link between the Co-op staff collective and the membership, the Board has ultimate fiduciary responsibility for our Co-op. In addition to working on the transition to equity ownership by the Co-op members, Board responsibilities include fundraising, financial & policy oversight, assisting with special events, member surveys, and helping the staff remain responsive to our membership.

The board meets on the first Monday of each month.  Agendas and meeting locations are posted at least a week prior to each meeting both on the bulletin board and HERE. Meetings are open to all Co-op members.

Les Snow, Treasurer (Term Expires 11/11)

Contact: 802.426.3800, lsnow@fairpoint.net

Born and raised in Vermont, Les’ adult life has lead him around much of New England with careers in design, organic farming and nonprofit management. Membership in a food co-op has been a continuous thread in the journey. “Though the local co-op didn’t yet exist when I was growing up in Brattleboro, I felt at home when I later encountered co-ops. Staying close to ones source of sustenance is an ideal shared by my upbringing and food co-ops.” He adds, “The Plainfield Co-op is blessed with a wonderful old building with a beautiful community space. I feel fortunate to be able to be part of this organization of creative people passionate about healthy food and thriving farms.” Les and his wife, Lori Baker, moved to Marshfield in 1989, raising a family at Wellspring Farm.

Rebecca Armell, Secretary (Term Expires 11/12)

Contact: rebeccaarmell@rocketmail.com

Born and raised in Brookline, MA, Rebecca attended Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, Vermont, followed by Goddard College here in Plainfield. After graduating in 2001, she traveled in Asia and farmed in California but found she could not stay away. “I have been living here in Plainfield or Marshfield consistently for the past seven years,” she notes, “working as a Personal Care Attendant, Bartender and Bookkeeper, and I have been on the Plainfield Co-op Board of Directors since 2007. You may also find me working in the store as a substitute once in a while. I cherish our Co-op!”

Mike Peabody (Term Expires 11/12)

I have lived in Vermont my entire life, moving in a small circuit from Williamstown, my hometown, to Johnson, Belvidere, Swanton, and finally settling in Plainfield.  A child of the 80s, Mike attended Johnson State College, graduating magna cum laude with a BA in Music Studies but has found employ as a farmhand, music tutor, animal shelter assistant, and recycling depot attendant, among others.  After starting to volunteer at the Co-op in 08, he joined the Board in 09 and also buys produce for the store.  Mike is married with 2 cats and a very nice little boy, Ozias Ambrose. Likes include gaming, farming, sunshine, and scrap metal. Dislikes: post-Keynesian economics, hernias, baby teeth and unemployment.

Gail Falk, Vice President (Term Expires 11/14)

Contact: gail.falk@gmail.com

As a working volunteer for the Co-op, I have come to appreciate our hard-working staff and the way the Co-op serves as a meeting place for the greater Plainfield community. As a board member, I would like to help the Co-op continue to grow as a place of connections among local producers and local consumers. My vision for the Co-op is to be a place where Plainfield neighbors want to come to buy and to sell beautiful, healthy food at fair prices. I will encourage the Co-op to continue to be welcoming to people of all ages and differing abilities and backgrounds. For many years I supervised a staff of 27 people and managed the budget. I have served on the boards of a number of nonprofits, including the Unitarian Church and the Women’s Health Center of West Virginia. I hope my skills and experiences can help the Co-op thrive in the coming years.

Sue Chickering (Term Expires 11/12)

Contact: dragonfly@ezcloud.com

Having grown up in Plainfield and East Montpelier, remembering the Co-op in its early days when we used to break down the big bulk orders at each others houses as a youngster, I have a little bit of history here. The Co-op has always had a warm place in my heart and I have enjoyed watching the recent changes. My children, now 18, 21 and 23 years old, are not home very often at this point, which gives me more time to contribute in a small way to my community. I served on the U-32 school board for a little over four years, and I am currently Chair of the East Montpelier Conservation Fund Advisory Committee and the Secretary of the East Montpelier Trails Committee. I love growing and eating fresh produce, and preserving my harvests to last through the winter. I am eager to learn and support the Co-op if there is a need, so would be happy to serve on the board and share whatever skills I have to offer in this role.

Chris Jackson, President (Term Expires 11/13)

Contact: kairos.chris@gmail.com

As a former full-time employee of the Co-op, I have a intimate working knowledge of the day to day operations and dynamics of the store. While there, I also helped draft many of the policies for the collective management structure. I am currently the farm manager at Maple Hill community farm, and thus have a strong interest and passion for local food, and local resilience. I see the Co-op as a valuable resource in meeting many of the needs of the people in our community. As a board member, I look forward to working with the collective again, as well as the membership, in keeping this place we love thriving even in uncertain times.

Joseph Gainza (Term Expires 11/13)

I have been a member of the Plainfield Co-op since 1974 when it was a bulk foods buying co-op and the present store space was the breakdown and distribution center. From 1995 to 2009 I was the Vermont Program Coordinator of the American Friends Services Committee. In addition to teaching grade school in Brooklyn for seven years, I have been a community organizer/outreach worker for Central Vermont Community Action Council, an anti-poverty agency, where I initiated the organizing of the Vermont Foodbank. I have served as advocacy director for the rights of people with disabilities, and been a program director and instructor of adults at Woodbury College. I have a BA in American History from St. Francis College in Brooklyn and a MA in Systematic Theology from St. Michael’s College in Colchester. In October, 2009 I founded Vermont Action for Peace and continue to organize opposition to war and the causes of war, abolition of nuclear weapons, creating a statewide support network for migrant farm workers, and opposition to the reinstatement of the death penalty in Vermont. With my wife, Sarah Norton, I manage a small homestead in Marshfield, from which we sell organic, free range chicken eggs to the Co-op. I am hoping to serve on the Co-op board as a way of giving back for all the wonderful years of being a member and seeing the Co-op grow while staying true to its original founding vision. I see food and other co-ops as integral parts of an emerging peace economy in Vermont.