About our Board

The Board of Directors develops guiding policies for the Co-op, assures performance and fiscal responsibility, provides a link to members, and helps define the broader vision of the Co-op. These responsibilities are spelled out in our Policy Governance Manual and our By-Laws.

Board Meetings

The Board meets at 7:00 pm the first Thursday of the month at:
Kerri Gallery, 861 Main Street, Willimantic, CT 06226

Meeting Minutes Archive:

Willimantic Food Co-op – Board of Directors’ Meeting

Click on a date to view or download a PDF document of the meeting’s minutes:

Board Bios

Kathleen Krider – President (2017)
Kathleen Krider has been a member of the Willimantic Food Coop for a very long time. She and her sons Levi and Asa live in Coventry and consider themselves to be the type of folks who shop and loiter in Willimantic. Kathleen currently works for the Town of Mansfield as their Early Childhood Services coordinator which means she gets to pay attention to the area’s youngest citizens, ensuring a compassionate education and healthy food choices at every school meal. This is her 4th year on the Board, this time around.



Kirk Begg – Vice President (2018)
I have been a member and regular shopper at the WFCoop for about 28 years. My desire to serve on the Board comes from my wanting to contribute to the continued existence of the special thing that is our Coop. I would like my kids, and many future generations, to be able to shop at our Coop, or at other food coops wherever they may live. I was appointed to a one year term on the Board in April 2011.
I grew up in Stratford, CT, a few blocks from the Housatonic River. I went to college at the US Merchant Marine Academy on Long Island and then worked on commercial ships for four years. I went back to school at UConn to help transition to a job ashore and ended up settling in Eastern Connecticut. After finishing graduate school I worked at UConn for eleven years in the Mechanical Engineering Department. Currently I work in research and development for a French company that is in the business of prescription lenses. My wife, daughter, stepson and I have lived on Mulberry Rd in Mansfield for the past fourteen years. If not working in our garden, I try to get outside and hike in Eastern Connecticut and beyond.



Joanne Todd – Treasurer (2019)
Joanne Todd grew up in Willimantic and lives in Scotland. She believes that the Food Coop is important to the Willimantic Community. She is privileged to serve on the Board and contribute to the coop’s vitality. Joanne is President/CEO of Northeast Family Federal Credit Union, a member-owned financial cooperative where she began as a teller. She holds a BS in Accounting and a MBA from the University of Connecticut.



Linda Brock – Secretary (2019)
Linda is pleased to find a vibrant, thriving cooperative here in Willimantic, after a few decades of “homesickness” for her early co-op experience with the venerable Weavers’ Way in Philadelphia. She believes that organic and fresh foods are important for both physical and spiritual nourishment, and enjoys supporting the co-op’s endeavors by serving as scribe for Board meetings. She and her husband Mark live in Windham Center with more cats than strictly necessary and the occasional itinerant male offspring.



Alice Rubin – General Manager
Alice started her career in working cooperatively as a warehouse worker and truck driver for CT Coops – a wholesaler which later merged to become part of Northeast Cooperatives. She has worked at the Willimantic Food Coop since 1984.



Matthew Kyer (2018)
Matthew Kyer is a first grade teacher in Coventry. He and his wife, Nan, have been members of the Willimantic Food-Co-op for over 20 years. He can usually be found staring fondly at the cheese display, and enjoys making beer in his spare time.



Bryan O’Hara (2017)
Bryan O’Hara is a local vegetable grower at Tobacco Road Farm in Lebanon. The farm has supplied the Co-op with produce for more than 20 years. Bryan strongly believes in democratic member involvement in Co-operative governance. He considers himself a Co-op enthusiast.



Johnnie Walker (2017)



Wendy Jakoboski – Staff Representative (2018)

Board Goals

Goal 1: Work with GM to develop a long-term strategic development plan (3-5 years)
Goal 2: Develop and enhance Co-op linkages with community partners
Goal 3: Increase interaction, participation and involvement with membership
Goal 4: Define and promote Co-op benefits
Goal 5: Strengthen Co-op’s financial position

Get Involved with a Committee!

The Co-op needs members to serve on committees to guide the direction of our co-op. If you have skills or expertise with a particular committee and want to help make a difference or help move the coop toward the goals set by the board, call to be included in the next committee meeting. Even if you are just considering it, give a call and sit in on the next meeting. Everyone is welcomed and encouraged to participate.

Master Calendar for the Willimantic Food Co-op Board

The Board is developing the following master calendar that includes when policies need to be monitored as well as other events that occur throughout the year.

All Board members should print out this master calendar for reference in monitoring and planning their work when it becomes available.

* Policy E Co-op Expansion Policy is only in effect when the Co-op is in an expansion project. At that time, the policy is monitored quarterly. The exact months in which the monitoring takes place is determined by when the expansion project begins. When the Co-op is not in an expansion project, the policy will remain part of the Willimantic Food Co-op Policy Governance Manual, but it will not be monitored.