Meet our 2019 Board Member Candidates!
Get to know this year’s Riverwest Board Member Candidates before the General Membership Meeting Sunday, April 7th.
ALEX HANDWERKER
What year did you join Co-op?
2018
How have you participated with the Co-op thus far? How would that experience benefit your role as a board member?
I have been volunteering in the store and cafe for about six months. I am currently volunteering four nights a week for a total of around 10-12 hours a week. In addition to that, I am an frequent customer at the co-op. I am usually in twice a day everyday. I think that all of my firsthand experience in the Co-op will be very beneficial as a board member.
What other skills or experience do you have that would make you a good board member at the Riverwest Co-op?
I know it is cliche but I have a very strong work ethic, especially when that work is for something I care about. I am also great at working with a team. I have worked in the automotive service industry for about six years and working as a team is essential. There is a lot of decisions that need to be made collaboratively and I work very well with others to resolve issues. And although the military is not quite a collaborative decision making institution, it did prepare me to work closely with others as a unit to accomplish a mission.
Why is the Riverwest Co-op important to you?
Other than the fact that it is where I eat most of my meals and do most of my shopping, it is my third space. Since I have moved to Milwaukee it is where I have met most of my new friends and it is my main connection to the neighborhood and the city.
What do you hope to contribute to the Co-op by serving on the Board of Directors?
I just hope to serve the Co-op. I want to see the Co-op prosper for years to come and am willing to do everything that I can to make that happen.
Tell us about yourself!
I moved to Milwaukee from the suburbs of Chicago about 10 months ago. I was looking for a change so I quit my job and bought a house in Riverwest. Luckily for me, that house was kitty-corner from the Riverwest Co-op. I am a vegan and I am very passionate about animal rights. I also (unfortunately) spent four years in the Marine Corps and I am now a member of Veterans for Peace. When I am not working or volunteering at the Co-op, I am usually just chilling at home with my seven pets. Yes, I have seven pets; four cats, two rabbits, and a pit bull. I think that is the general gist about me.
RHIANNON
What year did you join Co-op?
2017 membership, 2018 employment
How have you participated with the Co-op thus far? How would that experience benefit your role as a board member?
I've been employed in the cafe for just over 9 months now, and this has been my main involvement with the co-op. Since then, I've attended a handful of board and worker's collective meetings, and was on one of the co-op's bowling teams this winter. Working on the "front line" means I am directly effected by the board's decisions, and can report what kinds of changes are successful or need adjusting. I believe the cafe's perspective could be better represented and understood if I was a member of the board.
What other skills or experience do you have that would make you a good board member at the Riverwest Co-op?
During my undergraduate study, I participated in student government on multiple levels, which has informed my understanding of how progress is made in a small organization. Knowing that each part of the co-op is influenced by its other parts, and my experience navigating bureaucratic processes, means I am ready to approach all issues from multiple perspectives. Additionally, growing up in Wisconsin means I have always enjoyed and appreciated access to local, fresh food, and I hope to promote this experience as a right rather than a luxury.
Why is the Riverwest Co-op important to you?
I love that the co-op provides more than locally-sourced produce and delicious vegan-friendly food to the community. I love that the co-op is eager to host events, fundraise, and coordinate with other Milwaukee groups, whether it's encouraging donations for the Black Holocaust Museum or providing cheap healthy dinner to the community. Furthermore, I love that the co-op's 17 vibrant years of service are thanks to the time and effort of the neighborhood, and where all voices have a platform to speak.
What do you hope to contribute to the Co-op by serving on the Board of Directors?
First and foremost, I hope to represent the cafe and its constituents by reporting the achievements as well as setbacks we experience. I have a lot to learn about a cooperative model; consequently, I intend to bring an open, inquisitive mind to the board. That being said, I haven't been enmeshed in the co-op for more than a couple years, and this leaves me relatively unbiased with regards to how things are run -- I'm not interested in reinventing the wheel to navigate problems, but I also won't be afraid to offer new perspectives and challenge established norms in the face of difficulty. I think this would be very valuable to the co-op as it strives to remain an important facet of the community.
Tell us about yourself!
I'm a Madisonian, born and raised, but have called Milwaukee my home since 2016. Currently I focus my energy on school, work, and finding ways to be outside or with people I love. If you don't know me at all, my most prominent traits are: expressiveness (my face tells no lies and I speak with purpose), curiosity (life isn't long enough to learn everything but I'll certainly try), and humor (I'd rather be laughing with you, especially at a pun). I believe we can all learn from one another, so I am very excited to continue forging friendships within the community and look forward to organizing, participating, and troubleshooting across many platforms in Milwaukee.
WENDY MESICH
What year did you join Co-op?
2000
How have you participated with the Co-op thus far? How would that experience benefit your role as a board member?
I was on the founding board, and volunteer coordinator. I served on the board for multiple terms,serving on multiple committees. I have worked organizing on events and tables at festival. I worked in the cafe in 2010, and most recently was a temporary staff member in the store.
What other skills or experience do you have that would make you a good board member at the Riverwest Co-op?
I have worked in community gardens and served on the board of Milwaukee Urban Gardens. I was on the founding board and was a worker collective member at The Riverwest Public House Cooperative.
Why is the Riverwest Co-op important to you?
The Riverwest Co-op is my center community and organizing in this community. The radical act of controlling our food supply, of supporting local farms, of a community of volunteers supporting a worker collective all wrapped up in this place where you meet friends old and new.
What do you hope to contribute to the Co-op by serving on the Board of Directors?
I want to support the growth of the Riverwest Co-op and work of the Worker Collective. I am interested in long-term planning. As I have been involved in cooperatives for the last 20 years, I have rotated which cooperative principle has been my "favorite", right now 5. Education, Training, and Information and 6. Cooperation between Cooperatives are holding space in my heart and mind. I hope to work with the Board, WC and the Membership committee in bolstering ongoing cooperative education at every level of the coop. As interest keeps growing in Milwaukee to start new cooperatives, I think the Riverwest Co-op, current board, workers, and alum can both mentor and learn.
Tell us about yourself!
I have been living in Riverwest for 22 years now. I moved here because of the community, the DIY ethos and how amazingly different I could live here than in the suburbs where I grew up. Those years the RW Co-op started where transformational for me and the neighborhood. Every year I am more proud to live here and to raise my family here. I have worked with many different organizations and businesses in those years, but have almost always been tied to a cooperative in one way or the other. For the last 12 years I have been the volunteer coordinator and Riverwest 24 organizer, which I couldn't have done without the foundational learning I did at the Riverwest Co-op.
I currently manage The Bookseller Used Bookstore at the Central Library and bartend at The Falcon Bowl, among other side-gigs. My big project is opening the Cream City Hostel on Holton and Center St this summer. As you can see I like to stay busy, and love working to strengthen our neighborhood and institutions.
And not to leave off the important choices: I like cats, The Beatles, Brats with mustard AND ketchup, I like my walks shoveled and my yard un-mowed, I am an anarchist who votes and would rather be hot then cold.
RESSE REILAND
What year did you join Co-op?
2017
How have you participated with the Co-op thus far? How would that experience benefit your role as a board member?
So far, I have been the evening store employee and a member since Aug 2017. I have attended some worker collective and communication committee meetings. My position at the co-op has given me an intimate insight into the day-to-day life and operations of the co-op. I have been able to create and cultivate relationships with members, volunteers, other employees and my neighbors. I think being an employee allows me first hand experience with our members and therefore, would allow me to share with the board an integral perspective of the co-op and the folks that make it run. I think having an employee as a board member gives the board a direct line of communication to the members; a first-hand connection to members’ concerns and compliments. I am in the midst of joining the Communications Committee. I also re-designed the co-op website and manage it.
What other skills or experience do you have that would make you a good board member at the Riverwest Co-op?
I studied communication design at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. This not only taught me how to communicate with people visually (through graphics, typography, imagery, color, etc.) but also helped me to cultivate my ability to communicate skillfully in general. I think that my graphic design background could greatly help the board communicate with members via signage, social media and documentation. I also think my understanding of communication could aid in the board’s abilities to communicate concisely, efficiently and with awareness. Before I worked at the co-op, I worked the customer service desk at Outpost and was a lifetime member. While working at Outpost, I dove into vegan life and learned a lot about health, local food and the communities surrounding those topics. I attended member meetings and learned a lot about what I liked and didn’t like about Outpost’s cooperative structure.
I also live at the Riveredge Housing Cooperative. As a member I attending monthly member meetings, share property responsibilities, work and live closely with others and am the co-op secretary.
Why is the Riverwest Co-op important to you?
For a lot of reasons. I am trying my best to support business and companies that support the things I think are important. The co-op doesn’t put money first. They put their members first and we can feel that. I think it’s a safe space for so many people in our community and I love being a part of that. I love the relationships that revolve around the co-op and how they spread out into our community creating love and strength.
I truly think that corner stores that provide their community with local products and produce from local vendors and farmers is the only way that we can support and sustain human life in this quantity on earth. The co-op carries with it an idea, one that reminds us that we don’t have to do things the way everyone else is doing them. We can provide for ourselves and the ones we care about while also living in harmony with our planet. And small cooperatives are one way we can strive for that right now.
Also, the co-op can be a very loving place. Often times, if i’m having a bad day, I will go into work early because I know I will feel great once I’m there, surrounded by people who truly care about me. I am very luck. We all are, to have a place like that.
What do you hope to contribute to the Co-op by serving on the Board of Directors?
I want to help with overall communications among all the moving parts of the Co-op. I want to use my graphic design and art background to visually communicate between the board and the members. I’d like to help with making efficient lines of communications (email) and reviving the processes of the board in hopes of creating a balanced, flowing co-op. I’d like to hear from the board, what issues they are looking to solve. I want to help in any way I can and I truly feel like there are many ways in which I could be useful to the board.
Tell us about yourself!
I am an artist and a listener. I grew up in Milwaukee. At this moment in my life, I am most interested in the inner workings of humans, psychology, magic, art, expression, astrology, electricity, healing, and relationships. In the evenings, I work at the Riverwest Co-op and Café and by day I am a creative green thumb and freelance artist. I enjoy studying ways of healing, knowing and being. My favorite place is with my family. I enjoy using my passion for art and communications to help support local businesses and artists.