2024 Board Candidate Statements
Free Atwood
She/Her
Marc Brown
He/Him
William Morrow
He/Him
About Free
My Name is Free. I love organic produce and organic farmers. I advocate and collaborate with my partner, Garlynn Woodsong, the President and Board Chair of OCHN(Oregon Co-operative Housing Network) on making co-ops more easily obtainable.
Why are you interested in serving on the People’s Food Co-op Board of Directors? What do you want to get out of it?
I want to have my world reflect my values. I believe that co-ops should be supported by the people as well as have programs to reward the organic farmers to continue their harmonious work with the land for the people.
What do you want to give to the Co-op? What skills and experience do you have that’s relevant to the Board?
I am here on this planet to serve my people. I have a strong guiding direction of right and wrong. I have been an activist since my teen years at the T-Rex Insurgency in San Diego, crafting events to blockade downtown city blocks called RECLAIM THE STREETS. I’ve participated in many FOOD NOT BOMBS and seem to always be the underdog standing up for my friends and fellow humans in bad situations. Standing up for people I don't know in violent/uncomfortable times.
What is your understanding of the Board’s job?
Zoom meetings, showing up, contributing ideas, researching solutions, paperwork, listening, participating, critical thinking, basic computer skills and competence.
Please share any potential “conflicts of interest” with being a Board member at People’s Food Co-op.
None
Revisit our Ends Statement (linked above). Tell us about a part of the Ends that means something to you.
Thriving cooperative and local economies....this drives me. I mean safety is number one, as a woman, I consistently value safety no matter what, when or where.
Have you worked in an organization that does ongoing anti-oppression work before? How do you interact with anti oppression work?
I do, I am contract staff for PLACE Initiative. A national non-profit focused at the intersection of urbanism, climate change and equitable outcomes. We elevate and deliver anti-oppression work where it intersects with housing and the public realm.
Anything else you'd like the voters to know about you?
I want the world to reflect my values. I want clarity, easy access and transparency for all food in the world. I want farmers to be compensated fairly for upholding our values. I also want to come forth with a child's mind to listen and approach these situations with gentle care and proper action for each issue.
About Marc
I served on People's Board of Directors from 2007 to 2011 and I am currently serving as a director. I wrote a history of People's Food Cooperative published in the Oregon Historical Quarterly in 2011. I am an appellate public defender. I was a child model. I have appeared in the television shows Grimm and Portlandia. I have taught in law schools as a visiting professor in China and India. I am a ProTem law professor at the University of Oregon School of Law. I spent nearly a decade working as a natural history interpreter in North Cascades National Park and Denali National Park and Preserve. I raise chickens and grow fruit. My favorite color is plaid.
Why are you interested in serving on the People’s Food Co-op Board of Directors? What do you want to get out of it?
I am a policy geek and being a director allows me to indulge in my passion for policy and governance. Plus, there is the prestige that comes with being a director of People's Food Cooperative. I am also deeply interested in the cooperative economy wherein individuals such as the owners of People's pool their resources to create some that they control rather than something that some far off corporation controls.
What do you want to give to the Co-op? What skills and experience do you have that’s relevant to the Board?
I have a deep understanding of the history of People's Food Cooperative and I know policy governance. I am also trained as a lawyer which allows me to research legal issues that might arise from time to time. I have now served on the board for six years (2007-11 and 2022-24).
Revisit our Ends Statement (linked above). Tell us about a part of the Ends that means something to you.
"Thriving cooperative and local economies." As businesses continue to consolidate into larger and larger entities, they lose their connection to the local economies from which they arose. Recently, New Seasons was bought by an international grocery conglomerate. Historically, Nature's Northwest was a local business that was bought by Wild Oats which was owned by GNC. Eventually, Whole Foods bought Wild Oats and transformed the local Wild Oats Stores into Whole Foods which was subsequently bought by Amazon. In the news recently is the proposed merger of Safeway and Kroger's which would bring together Safeways, Albertsons, QFC, and Fred Meyer's stores into one corporation. That corporation will have control over an enormous amount of the food supply in Portland. Having local control of businesses makes those businesses answerable to the local economy and local individuals. Although local ownership is great, even better is local cooperative ownership. Individuals who come together and pool their resources to create their own business.
The role of the Board is to continually investigate the purpose of the Co-op in the community. How would you approach this work? Who would you work with as a Board member?
Outreach to the owners through various means. My personal skill is in writing.
Have you worked in an organization that does ongoing anti-oppression work before? How do you interact with anti oppression work?
Daily. The criminal justice system is embedded with implicit biases. Many of my clients have been the victims of that system.
About William
I am originally from Louisville, KY. My wife and I moved to the Hosford Abernethy neighborhood in 2019. When I am not adventuring in the outdoors or playing in our garden, my main occupation is wearing out our 3 year old border collie. I am also passionate about art in all its forms.
Why are you interested in serving on the People’s Food Co-op Board of Directors? What do you want to get out of it?
People’s has nourished us through good times and bad. I would love to give back. I hope to learn more about the business, suppliers, and farmers. I would like to help ensure the co-op is sustainable for another 50 years!!!
What do you want to give to the Co-op? What skills and experience do you have thats relevant to the Board?
I have been on many non-profit boards. My experience with fundraising, events, community building, and placemaking may be of use. I am also an expert at organizing complex public programs such as exhibits, music, dance, and public speaking.
What is your understanding of the Board’s job?
My understanding is that the Board works to amplify the “Ends” and strives to ensure the co-op is operating in a fiscal and legal manner.
Please share any conflicts of interest with being a Board member at People’s Food Co-op
N/A
Revisit our Ends Statement. Tell us about a part of the Ends that means something to you.
Having lived, traveled, and engaged professionally with communities across the US and abroad, I am hyper aware of how special and privileged ‘access to healthful foods’ is in my life and in our city.
The role of the Board is to continually investigate the purpose of the Co-op in the community. How would you approach this work? Who would you work with as a Board member?
We can't assume citizens of Portland know People’s Food Co-opvalues and mission. I would be thrilled to help with community engagement at our local businesses and neighborhood associations. I would also like to engage our government officials for support and to make sure the co-op is valued as an important asset for the city.
Have you worked in an organization that does ongoing anti-oppression work before?How do you interact with anti-oppression work?
Professionally, as an art historian and curator of contemporary art, I have spent much of my career championing historically marginalized voices and creating access to underserved communities across the country through public programming, exhibitions, and scholarly publications.
Anything else you’d like the voters to know about you?
I love that we are back to in-person gatherings at the Co-op. Also, you can find me this summer on many of the Pedalpalooza rides.
Conny Wagner
She/They
About Conny
I identify as a queer, cis, and white-bodied immigrant, and grew up in a small town at the edge of the Thuringian Forest in former East Germany. I have called Portland my second home since 2003, and love spending time with family & friends, traveling, hiking, and playing ping pong. Gardening is a passion of mine and one way for me to connect with all living things and with my late grandmother Elfriede, who was an avid gardener and the first person who taught me about plants. I share a home with my dog Hazel, who enjoys coming to work every day and loves to cuddle and do the zoomies. In my work as a veterinarian and small business owner, I am passionate about centering the human-animal bond, access to culturally responsive veterinary care, healing in community, and co-creating an equitable and supportive work environment.
Why are you interested in serving on the People’s Food Co-op Board of Directors? What do you want to get out of it?
I have been a People’s member for over 20 years and I am interested in serving on the Board of Directors as a way to give back and to deepen my roots and connections within this community. I am interested in learning more about how a consumer-owned cooperative model works and being part of the group guiding the organization’s policies. I am curious if a similar model for veterinary care could be possible.
What is your understanding of the Board’s job?
I am understanding that the Board’s job is to express the Co-op’s vision, set expectations and monitor how the Collective Management works within those parameters.
Please share any potential “conflicts of interest” with being a Board member at People’s Food Co-op.
I am not aware of any “conflicts of interest” with being a board member.
What do you want to give to the Co-op? What skills and experience do you have that’s relevant to the Board?
I am able to offer my experiences and knowledge gained through my many years of stewardship of a small value-driven veterinary clinic centering racial and economic equity, collective decision making, transparency, and a supportive work environment. I have past experience serving on the board of the Portland Veterinary Medical Association, and I am familiar with the principles of Non-Violent Communication. I value co-creating brave spaces centering direct communication, transparency, curiosity, and where emotions are welcome and personal & collective growth are celebrated.
Revisit our Ends Statement (linked above). Tell us about a part of the Ends that means something to you.
The part of the Ends statement that resonates with me the most is about co-creating a safe and welcoming community and democratic workplace. These are values I am centering in my own life, as we collectively navigate late stage capitalism and work hand-in-hand for a brighter and more equitable future.
The role of the Board is to continually investigate the purpose of the Co-op in the community. How would you approach this work? Who would you work with as a Board member?
One of the approaches to continually investigating the purpose of the Co-op in the community would be to elevate the voices and needs of folks who are systemically underrepresented and underserved. I would strive to approach this work with curiosity and an open mind, and in collaboration with others.
Have you worked in an organization that does ongoing anti-oppression work before? How do you interact with anti oppression work?
It took the results of the 2016 presidential election for me to wake up to the racial inequities that exist in this country and to begin in earnest to go on a journey to learn more. One of the many types of awareness I gained is that I couldn’t just strive for change in my personal life, but had to make huge changes as a small business owner as well. Our biggest lesson has been that anti-racist work is personal, and that it is necessary for each one of us to identify how we show up in a society that is rooted in white dominant culture and work practices, while we work towards aligning our organizational structure and practices more closely with our equity goals and values. I continue to be involved in different collective efforts around racial justice with the focus on identifying and examining my own biases and my positionality as a white-bodied person in a society rooted in colonialism and white supremacy.
Shelly Wright
About Shelly:
By nature my soul yearns for the outdoors and good food and medicine from nature. Currently I am living inland working toward understanding how to successfully live off land, off grid using natural resources. I grew up on food from farm to table. In the 70s that changed. I remember we were not allowed to plant on our land in the country or in our backyard. This method brought my family closer and we learned how to barter and reproduce within a family system and share with all. In the 80s I became a grocery store shopper from love of my farm to purchasing groceries i couldn't get from farmers market.
I became a mother in the 80s and began planting in the late 90s.
I moved to Oregon in 2020 to be in a climate where I can grow nutritious foods. I found that living here is ideal to grow – I love the environment that allows us to plant and keep the environment in its natural habit throughout. Besides growing, testing soil, and plants, my obsession with food was due to an illness. This restarted and kicked in my knowledge as to how important full sustainability for me truly is. I could the market and couldn't be happier with the staff quality of food and the operation of the Co-op.
Why are you interested in serving on the People’s Food Co-op Board of Directors? What do you want to get out of it?
I am interested in helping serve and bring awareness to how important our co-ops are. Also I want to be a part of the operations with A cooperative that is people centered driven by values of reciprocity and solidarity diversity and inclusion.
This ensures securing quality food and quality help with trustworthy people providing for our community fresh foods.
What do you want to give to the Co-op? What skills and experience do you have that’s relevant to the Board?
I'd like to give the coop my ability to listen, analyze and think clearly. Creative skills that include leadership, how to lead, and problem solve.
What is your understanding of the Board’s job?
Checks and balances, finances, balance sheet, conflicts paying employees, structural needs, safer and smooth operations. Networking with farmers. Also help create a way for customers to become members who have shares. This ensures money stays within the store and community to serve the people.
Please share any potential “conflicts of interest” with being a Board member at People’s Food Co-op.
None
Revisit our Ends Statement (linked above). Tell us about a part of the Ends that means something to you.
The role of the Board is to continually investigate the purpose of the Co-op in the community. How would you approach this work? Who would you work with as a Board member?
I would first look at customer input, reviews, complaints, suggestions – as times change we need to stay updated. How can we serve better with advertising, specials, discounts on in-season products. Take a poll: I would work with the person who finds needs for the store and how to ensure needs are met by guiding me.
Have you worked in an organization that does ongoing anti-oppression work before? How do you interact with anti oppression work?:
Yes, I worked with state CPS advocates by providing adequate sustainable resources like educating and mentoring, and helping families with reunification. Many were oppressed with inadequate housing food etc, I was a part of helping find resources for families internally & physically displaced and as well as homeless.
Anything else you'd like the voters to know about you?
If selected I am a great “people person”. Great communication and comprehension. I am teachable, a self-starter, I just need direction or adequate training if I am selected. I am great at helping others, and have great intuition and sensitivity. Great at starting projects providing "how to" ideas. I love people and always looking to be of service in some way.
