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Board of Directors

The Cambridge Food Co-op has an active Board of Directors who ensure the efficient, effective running of the Co-op. 

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Join a Board Committee! Help Run the Co-op as a Democratic Organization

Are you looking for a way to contribute to the Co-op? Do you want to take part in the Co-op as a democratically-run organization? The Co-op is looking for members to become more active in committees.
 

There are several active committees that help the Co-op operate at an organizational level, and they are the:
 

  • Building Committee

  • Executive Committee

  • Finance Committee

  • Governance Committee

  • Membership and Community Outreach Committee

  • Mission/Vision Committee

  • Personnel Committee
     

Each of these committees has their own charter and their own meeting schedule, which can vary depending on need. Each committee has a chair who is responsible for calling the meetings of each committee and reporting on the specific committee’s progress at board meetings.
 

As a democratically-run organization, committee involvement lets members’ voices be heard and allows members to be more proactive in the decisions the organization makes.

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Join one of the above committees! To do so, or if you have related questions, please email here.

How the Board Operates

What is the Board of Directors and What Do They Do?

As a consumer cooperative, the Cambridge Food Co-op is managed by a Board of Directors, a democratically-elected group of Co-op member-owners committed to upholding the values of the Co-op and ensuring the activities of the organization are in the best interests of the Co-op community. Directors are responsible for maintaining the operational and financial health of the Co-op, supervising Co-op management, and engaging in long term planning for the future of the Co-op.  

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Board Committees help the Board accomplish tasks. These six committees consist of:

  • Governance â€‹

  • Membership & Community Relations​

  • Building​

  • Finance​

  • Personnel

  • Executive​​

 

These committees are made up of Co-op members and are usually chaired by a member of the Board. They meet regularly to assist with different sectors of the organization. The committees are guided by their charters, which you can read here.

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If you would like to see a PDF list of the Committee Chairs, please click here.

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When Does the Board Meet?

The board meets at least 6 times per year and all Co-op members are encouraged to attend. Board meeting agendas and most recent draft meeting minutes are posted on the Co-op’s bulletin board and sent to all members via email prior to each scheduled meeting. During the pandemic, meetings have been via Zoom, and links to the meetings are emailed to members prior to each meeting.

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Do You Need to Contact the Board?

Do you have comments or questions about how the Board operates, what its current activities are, or a suggestion? The Cambridge Food Co-op’s Board of Directors wants to hear from you! They are available to answer questions and provide information about co-op governance. Click on the link to the left.

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If you would like to see a PDF list of the Board of Directors, please click here.

Board Meeting Dates - 2024

  • January 24th

  • March 27th

  • May 22nd

  • August 28th

  • Sept 25th

  • November 13th 


Annual Members Meeting:

  • October 20th, Sunday

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Newly-Elected Advisors

These three new board members will serve the 2024-2026 term:

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Michael Ammaturo

Michael discovered Washington County serendipitously on a day trip in 2020 with his father and then, soon after, finding a Victorian in Shushan to be call home for himself, his partner Noosh’Anna, and her mother. He grew up in Rockland County, New York where he also served as a Town Councilman, a Rockland Conservatory of Music board member, Sparkill Civic Association founder, and local newsletter publisher. His primary skillset is around sales and marketing, selling business computer software for 15+ years and more recently launching an online course for rural residents to enter and thrive in the world of remote work. Civic engagement has always been important to MIchael and he is happy to contribute to the Food Co-op, which is an important part of our local economy and social fabric.

 

Betsy Shiland

Betsy Shiland is a former Cambridge Food Co-op advisor who is now ready to renew her involvement at the board level. She is a current member of the personnel committee and a former member of the finance committee.  She filled in as treasurer during 2021. Betsy grew up in Cambridge, moved away for 40 years, and returned to live on the family farm to raise chickens and attend to a varying number of cats and dogs.  When not feeding the flock, she writes and edits her textbooks on medical terminology, coding, and statistics in her office above the Co-op.

 

Mark Russo

Growing up in co-op housing with a family of multigenerational community advocates, I have always been a food- and community-focused person. That interest and passion turned into a deeper relationship and commitment when I started my local food and farming journey in earnest as an intern at Soul Fire Farm in 2012. Since then I have worked at numerous farms and community-based organizations in the Capital Region, notably as an employee on the Capital Roots Veggie Mobile, as a volunteer host & producer of a weekly farming segment on the Sanctuary for Independent Media's low-power radio Hudson Mohawk Magazine, and, as chair of the Community Outreach committee and board member of the Mount Ida Preservation Association in Troy where I organized community meals and open-mic events. I've also worked part-time doing farmer outreach for Farm Generations Cooperative, a farmer-owned tech start up with an online sales marketplace, GrownBy, for the last two years. I lived in Cambridge for about a year and a half before my partner and I bought our home on the Schaghticoke/Cambridge line in 2022, and one of the things that drew us to the village was the presence of the Food Co-op.

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Meet The Directors

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