Your Board Candidates
All four Board candidates will fill the four open seats this election cycle, although we are still holding the election. One of the Board members whose term was not up chose to vacate their seat early, leading to the fourth open seat during this cycle; that fourth seat has two years remaining in its term. The top vote-getting candidate will have their choice of whether to serve the two-year term or the usual three-year term; if that candidate chooses the three-year term, the choice will move to the candidate who got the next-highest number of votes. We’re asking Owners to still vote to participate in their cooperative!
Owners: see ballot in the printed newsleter, PDF, at the link sent to you via email and/or letter, or in-store.
In the candidate application, we required candidates to attend a Board Candidate Information Session and recommended candidates attend a Board meeting, but it was not required.
IKE ROSS
“I’m excited about continuing our co-op’s mission. With a background in sustainability & career in public service, I want to help drive positive change in the local community. Re-election means we can continue to further our Co-op’s mission & values, contributing to a sustainable & thriving future for its owners.”
Why do you believe Owners should choose you to represent them? (Please disclose any potential conflicts of interest.)
I’ve had the fortune in my earlier years to work on small family farms in Michigan. I later continued working on both conventional and organic farms throughout college, engaging with and working alongside a diverse group of farmers. Their passion and pride in their work encouraged me and I pursued an education in earth sciences and sustainability, and a career in public service. As a current board member, I’ve been grateful for the opportunity to continue this throughline in sustainable food systems to better our community in a way that I could not otherwise.
A public servant since moving to Wisconsin, I’ve worked with local communities and am grateful to be involved in seeking positive change. The Co-op lets me further help my own community in providing space for members and local farmers to engage in community-owned, local, and sustainable food systems. I’m comfortable and experienced on management teams and continue to learn the Co-op’s governance model to help pursue the vision of the Co-op and its members. As members of our Co-op, we’re taking direct action to seek a vibrant and healthier community, to give back to our neighbors, and to help local and sustainable farmers continue to be passionate and proud in the work they do.
Help the co-op’s Owners get to know you by describing how you have been active in our Local Community?
Aside from the Co-op offering me the opportunity to be involved, I take pride in my work as a public servant. It’s this satisfaction in helping others that drove me to be a board member in the first place. When not working, I am one of many who help make Madison such an active and vibrant community, participating in and helping out with running and cycling charity races. When time allows, I enjoy spreading my knowledge of the earth sciences, volunteering for educational earth science days. I hope to continue to expand my involvement and further engage with my neighborhood and Madison as a whole.
How will you use your skills and experience to further the mission and vision of the Co-op?
Bringing my farming experiences to the Board continues to provide insight to the Co-op’s mission to support local suppliers through our sustainable grocery store. My education in environmental sustainability aids in the decision-making when engaging in and promoting environmentally sustainable initiatives as a board member. My technical background and leadership experiences allow for data informed decision making while remaining comfortable operating in and helping guide organizations like ours toward their visions and community goals.
ISABEL SPOONER-HARVEY
“I am running for re-election to the board of directors because I love the Co-op and love being a board member. For those who don’t know me, I am a single mother of three, a volunteer in our school district, and a proponent of accessible high quality nourishing food.”
When I wrote my first candidate statement last August, I was transitioning out of a season of life where parenting young children seemed to take up my whole being. Now, I continue to pivot toward a new season where I am giving more of my time to the community. In addition to serving on the Co-op Board, since September 2023 I’ve been volunteering as the chairperson of the Madison Metropolitan School District Special Education Advisory Committee, a panel of parents that advises school district leadership on issues affecting students with special educational needs. I look forward to continuing as PTO Treasurer at Schenk Elementary and starting a new job this autumn supporting MMSD Special Education staff at the district level. My children and I are huge devotees of Pinney library, enjoy participating in our local Cub Scout den, making art, and having fun learning with the folks at Chabad House. I am filled with gratitude for all the opportunities to connect and serve that have come my way in the past twelve months.
Over the past year, I have worked hard to be a thoughtful contributor to the Board. As a new member, the most important thing to me was to listen with an open mind, to learn how the board operated and find my place in that dynamic. I tried to approach policy questions without making assumptions and to vote from a wider perspective than my individual experience. I still believe in radical curiosity, open-minded enthusiastic listening, and the pursuit of group problem-solving with integrity.
I’d like to thank everyone who voted for me last year because serving on the board has been an incredibly rewarding experience. The strategic planning process deepened my belief that the Co-op uniquely serves our community, offering shoppers high quality products in a welcoming space, providing a launch pad for local vendors, and supporting workers through collective bargaining. I also loved getting to work on the Access Discount Policy Committee, making sure that as many people as possible know that fresh local food is within reach. Please let me continue as a voice for inclusion, sustainability, and digital augmentation as the Board continues to map out the Co-op’s future.
ASHWINI RAO
“The Willy Street Grocery Co-op continues to be a cornerstone for the Madison community. It plays pivotal roles in shaping the food preferences of the community and beyond, in supporting farmers and producers, in being a role model for other cooperatives, and in assisting other businesses become successful.”
Why do you believe Owners should choose you to represent them? (Please disclose any potential conflicts of interest.)
I am passionate about helping small businesses succeed, growing local economies, and building communities. The cooperative model supports each of these goals. As a Board member, I have served on the Co-op’s Community Reinvestment Fund, which funds innovative, educational, and/or entrepreneurial endeavors. I have also represented the Board on the Co-op’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee, served two terms as Chair of the Board Development Committee, and one term as Vice Chair of the Board. The past three years have allowed me to work alongside like-minded owners in refining the mission of the Co-op. I hope to broaden that mission in my second term.
Help the co-op’s Owners get to know you by describing how you have been active in our local Community?
I’ve lived in Madison since 2001. My professional experience and personal passions allow me to serve on multiple boards and volunteer at the various festivals around the East side of Madison.
I have experience working with Co-ops and small businesses. At UW-Madison, I worked with several cooperatives in helping them to understand the Policy Governance model as practiced by the Board. Later, my work at the UW and at the State, was to find resources and identify ways for small businesses to be successful. I highly value contributing to, and being active in, our local community.
How will you use your skills and experience to further the mission and vision of the Co-op?
Three years ago, my application to run for the Board included questions on the viability, evolution, and sustainability of the Co-op. Those questions, with the addition of others, still remain pertinent today. The Co-op has embarked on a strategic plan to evaluate, identify and adopt policies to further strengthen the organizational mission and vision. I believe that my critical thinking abilities, strategic planning experience, and marketing skills can help with aligning ourselves under a vision where the Co-op remains innovative, relevant, and inclusive.
NANCY RANUM
“Willy Street Co-op is my go-to for quality food and products that align with a consumer ethic I connect with. I hope to utilize my experiences and skills to support the Co-op’s vital commitment to sustainability, accessibility and its mission to empower owners, employees and community while remaining fiscally stable.”
Why do you believe Owners should choose you to represent them? (Please disclose any potential conflicts of interest.)
I have been a Madison resident and Co-op owner for 40+ years and now I want to give back by running for the Board of Directors. I am concerned about quality, sustainability and equity in food systems. I have been an avid organic gardener and composter for decades and am committed to supporting local farms and products. I believe the Co-op should continually explore ways to improve environmental stewardship, expand food access, and demonstrate equity, diversity and inclusion in both policy and practice. I value cooperative ownership and believe in shopping where you live. This is an opportunity for me to apply my experience and competencies in a way that I would find quite rewarding.
Help the co-op’s Owners get to know you by describing how you have been active in our local Community?
I spent the first half of my career as a nurse caring for individuals in the hospital and clinics of a local health system. I was also involved in program development to improve patient experience and to address the needs of underinsured persons who required ongoing care. I was the nursing representative on the organization’s Ethics Committee. During the 20 years prior to retiring in 2019 I was a nurse practitioner providing primary care to students at UW Madison. While there I developed an Informatics program, was the Director of Quality, and had a lead role in responding to a community meningitis outbreak. In March 2020 I returned to assist the University in developing Covid policy and testing strategies.
I have been an active participant in a local community garden for the past twelve years where I have taken on extra projects and have been a mentor to new gardeners. As a parent of two now grown sons I volunteered in their schools and managed several of their sports teams. On my refrigerator is a drawing of the Co-op from the perspective of my six-year-old granddaughter who loves shopping the aisles.
How will you use your skills and experience to further the mission and vision of the Co-op?
I enjoy project work, problem solving, and consensus driven decision-making, and I’m comfortable in a leadership position. My personal values are congruent with those of the Co-op. I will leverage my experience with strategic planning and policy development as well as my background in healthcare administration and quality improvement to support the mission and vision of the Co-op. I understand the principles of cooperative ownership and policy governance and will be dedicated to reviewing and generating policies that ensure economic viability and align with the needs of owners, employees and the community.
