Candidate Questionnaire

Why do you want to serve on the Board of Directors for the RPFC?

I believe in the value of a food c-op for Rogers Park. I am dedicated to seeing the vision of the co-op come to fruition, so that it may serve the community with good food and education.

What is your passion? How could we see that passion in action in your day-to-day life?

Food is my passion. I've worked in various food related industries for 13 years.

List some of the organizations, causes, initiatives, and groups of which you have been a part.

I have served as the Treasurer for my condo association for 4 years. I also worked as a manager of a local spice store for 10 years. I also served on the Founders Group and Interim Board of the Rogers Park Food Co-op.

How do you believe you involvement with these groups have prepared you to serve on the RPFC Board of Directors?

I have extensive experience working collaboratively. I am skilled at planning and managing projects, and at setting and achieving both long-term and short term goals.

Describe an experience in which you worked on a team. What did you offer the team? How did you compromise for the team's benefit?

I served on the Event Committee for the Central Street Business Association for 3 years. The Event Committee worked collaboratively to plan special events for the Central Street business district in Evanston. Like everyone on the team, I brought new ideas and creative solutions to the team, as well as a dedication to work diligently to ensure all plans were executed properly. Because the team was 100% collaborative, compromise was standard practice in all decisions.

Briefly describe two or three possible ways you could handle the following situation. How you would ultimately act?

You've recently been elected to the RPFC Board. A close friend and local food producer privately asks you to help her business by having the Board publicly denounce the alleged unethical business practices of her closest competitor, whose products are already sold at RPFC. The business owner says she will deeply discount RPFC orders for her product for a year if you help her.

First, I would remind my friend that the Rogers Park Food Co-op regards transparency and democracy as core values, so that even though she is my friend, decisions about products cannot be made in private meetings or for undisclosed reasons.

Second, I would offer to investigate the alleged unethical practices of her competition following the Co-ops standard procedures and policies.

Also, while discounted products sound tempting, I know that a food co-op does not answer to shareholders, and values community and democracy over the bottom line, so discounted products and higher profit margins would not motivate me to violate the co-ops core principles.