By Jayne Stokes, Board President
The Co-op board is pleased to announce that Katie Kerr has been promoted to general manager of the Co-op!
Though Katie was recently hired as general manager, she joined the Co-op staff in June, 2020, and she has been carrying a full schedule ever since. She was brought on in the midst of the pandemic, and we have all seen the hard work and dedication she is willing to put in to make the Co-op succeed.
Katie has previous experience both in retail and in banking. In the latter, she worked as a team leader in charge of data organization and research for mortgage clients for SEFCU, the New York state employee’s credit union, which is a financial cooperative. However, after commuting between Albany and Greenwich for thirteen years, Katie was ready for a change!
Initially hired as a front-end associate, Katie was named interim manager in late August of 2020 after Melissa Carll went on family leave. Katie’s past work experience aligns with the needs of the store. So far, it has served her well in helping to organize the Co-op’s ordering process, which she took on in August when Melissa stepped out.
In her role now as General Manager, Katie will be responsible for managing store operations, supervising staff, and working with the board and committees to ensure that the Co-op continues to support its members’ needs and maintains solid finances.
The past few years with a co-management structure has been a time of transition for the Co-op. We want to take this opportunity to thank Melissa and Kathleen Quinn who have led us to this point and advocated for this change in leadership. Both will be staying on in part-time roles as marketing manager, and membership and administrative coordinator, respectively.
In applying for the general manager position, Katie said, “I am grateful to have found a place to work that is more than just a job, but gives me pride to feel that I am contributing my skills to the betterment of my community.” We are grateful, too!
Fun fact about Katie: she is also a longtime student of Gina Deibel’s Bollywood classes at Hubbard Hall and she and her sister both teach Bollywood X.
Please welcome General Manager Katie Kerr!