2025 General Membership Meeting Invite from Boardand Board Nomination Bios
Greetings,
It is my privilege as your new board president to invite the membership of the Riverwest Food Cooperative to the annual General Membership meeting to be held at Falcon Bowl, 801 E Clarke on Sunday May 18, 2025 from 3-6pm. Reports detailing 2024’s performance will be presented by our coordinators and committee chairs, along with the current status, with time for Q&A. Our Annual Board elections will be held - below you can read the candidates bios; one member one vote - must be current on equity payments. This year's breakout sessions will focus on plugging YOU into gaps on committees and projects. A complementary community dinner provided by the co-op cafe will follow the meeting’s conclusion.
On behalf of the board, it is my hope that as many people attend as possible. I send this notice out in the best of spirits, but as I will outline below, it comes at a time of dire straits for our organization.
As has been the case for a number of years, the co-op is in financial straits that have been stretched to the absolute breaking point. A combination of factors have contributed to this, largely stemming from the Covid 19 pandemic and its aftermath. Sales are down and costs are high. The burden of operating the store and cafe has weighed heavily on the staff. The complement of volunteers who share in this labor sits at one-third of what it was before the pandemic. We have lacked a full board of directors for 5 years running. Turnover has been high and the board as it stands is short on experience. In general, the culture that must exist for any cooperatively owned business to exist, much less thrive, has eroded.
The capital expenditure that goes into running the co-op is manifold. Apart from the financial capital that keeps the doors open, human and social capital are foundational to a grocery cooperative like ours. As members, we collectively hold it in trust. It is a community and a way of life that requires participation. It is with that in mind we will gather together for this yearly meeting, present the annual report, and discuss the future of an institution that is thoroughly embattled.
The state of the Riverwest Food Cooperative reflects that of the wider world. The food system the co-op exists to combat has deteriorated to the point where we see shockingly high food prices unprecedented in any of our lives. Though the survival of the business is in peril, our mission has never been more important. Our co-op was conceived of as a radical and revolutionary entity dedicated to the cause of food justice. If it is to remain a beacon of resistance, we must redouble our efforts to save it.
It is with that I, the staff, and the Board of Directors humbly ask for your presence and participation at this year’s GMM. To see another one will take the concerted efforts of us all.
Thank you,
J. Flanagan Van Akkeren
Riverwest Co-op Board President
Board@riverwestcoop.org
Wessley Hampton
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? Please note any previous experience you've had serving as a volunteer, customer, voting member, staff member, committee member or anything else!
Volunteer, staff, customer, kitchen.
Please share if you have practical experience in any of the following areas:
Project Management
What other skills or experience do you have that would make you a good board member at the Rivewest Co-op? Have you got any prior experience with / interest in local food, retail or the cooperative model?
Engineering degree and an understanding of the history of cooperatives.
Why is the Riverwest Co-op important to you?
The coop is a local community hang out spot and good way to connect with other like minded people. The hot food is fantastic and mostly locally sourced. The events bring the community together.
What do you hope to contribute to the Co-op by serving on the Board of Directors?
I hope to help streamline and simplify coop activities, take some of the load off of our overworked staff and volunteers as well as bring volunteers back in.
Please submit a short bio, tell us about yourself! (500 words or less)
Hello! I'm Wessley, a long time volunteer and former staff member who is local to the area. Over the past six or so years I've seen alot change in the city, the neighborhood, and the coop itself. I have a background in engineering and music. I was hired on during the start of covid when volunteering had to come to a close and took on cashier, kitchen, and some administrative functions as needed until my departure in September of 2023. You'll currently find me back in the kitchen on Friday nights helping with dinner or at a community garden pulling weeds.
Alex Kerr
What year did you join Co-op?
2025
How have you participated with the Co-op thus far? How would that experience benefit your role as a board member? Please note any previous experience you've had serving as a volunteer, customer, voting member, staff member, committee member or anything else!*
I am new to the Co-op, but plan to work weekly as a volunteer.
Please share if you have practical experience in any of the following areas:
Finance / Bookkeeping
What other skills or experience do you have that would make you a good board member at the Rivewest Co-op? Have you got any prior experience with / interest in local food, retail or the cooperative model?*
I have a degree in Business Administration and manage a restaurant team of 75-110. In addition to restaurant work, I have consistent experience volunteering with food pantries and shelters.
Why is the Riverwest Co-op important to you?*
I have grown fond of Riverwest after living here for 2 years. After re-signing our lease, I committed to get more involved with the community.
Food is very important to me, and so is where I spend my money. Knowing my money will go toward my community instead of a conglomerate is my main reason for seeking out sustainable, community based options.
What do you hope to contribute to the Co-op by serving on the Board of Directors?
I hope my background and skill set, both with food and business, can provide support to coordinators and leadership to the Co-op team.
Please submit a short bio, tell us about yourself! (500 words or less)*
Restaurant Professional, currently General Manager at Il Cervo in Deer District.
My partner and I moved to Milwaukee from Chicago in 2021 to get some breathing room (no pun intended!) during the later stages of the pandemic. We started out on the Lower East Side and moved to Riverwest in 2023.
I have always been involved with food in some way. When I returned to school to study Business Administration, my focus was on sustainability and what the future of food may look like. I began volunteering with food pantries and shelters to ensure easier access to food for members of my community. As my business skills develop, I continue working to make an impactful change on the food industry.
Justine (Steen) Garner
What year did you join Co-op?
Not sure, maybe 8-10 years ago?
How have you participated with the Co-op thus far? How would that experience benefit your role as a board member? Please note any previous experience you've had serving as a volunteer, customer, voting member, staff member, committee member or anything else!*
I’ve been volunteering for over 5 years. I started in the cafe doing dishes and now help with 6am deliveries since covid.
Please share if you have practical experience in any of the following areas:
Community Outreach / Organizing
What other skills or experience do you have that would make you a good board member at the Riverwest Co-op? Have you got any prior experience with / interest in local food, retail or the cooperative model?
As a longtime volunteer, business owner and loyal customer, I have a fresh perspective on how to make improvements that will lower prices without burdening and scaring our community into buying more. There are lots of ways the coop can earn a profit without relying on grocery sales. Just like how Starbucks doesn’t earn money from coffee but uses their app as a bank that buys stocks and property, allowing them to become the biggest bank in the country, the coop can evolve our revenue streams. The coop can provide entertainment, community learning and business partnerships to bring in revenue from sources like TikTok, YouTube, and selling advertising on our products as a way to bring in steady income. By divorcing the coop’s reliance on grocery sales, we can sell products at a loss, forcing every other grocery store to bring their prices down to compete with us. The food prices are artificially inflated and the coop is the only grocery store in town with the freedom to say no to price increases.
Why is the Riverwest Co-op important to you?\
The coop gave me a hot meal with dignity when I was homeless living in Mike M backyard after our tamale business failed. The coop taught me how to cook vegan food when my body started rejecting animal products. The coop gave me purpose and belonging each time I had to switch dead-end jobs. The coop helped me build discipline and consistency that has kept my business going through hard times. Now it’s my time to help the coop by being of service, sharing my wisdom and experience.
What do you hope to contribute to the Co-op by serving on the Board of Directors?
I offer ideas so silly, they just might work. I have a can do attitude that inspires new ideas. I love organizing community building projects and efficiency in day to day operations. I have a plan that would reduce prices and repair the coop relationship with our community. Threats to close every quarter has burnt our customers compassion for the coop’s fate. Why should they support us if we continue to just raise prices like every other store in town? I offer hope and new opportunities for revenue that show our customers we deserve their business by developing multiple streams of income.
Please submit a short bio, tell us about yourself! (500 words or less)
I’m just another non-binary person upset that food prices keep going up at the customer’s expense. I run a $$$,$$$ dog training business by myself part time and own property in the neighborhood that is paid in full. I spend most of my days making art and biking around when I’m not working with dogs. I spend my nights being startled awake with solutions to save the coop. I know I can help the coop evolve and thrive into the community support system we all dream of and need.
Amy Donahue
What year did you join Co-op?*
2011
How have you participated with the Co-op thus far? How would that experience benefit your role as a board member? Please note any previous experience you've had serving as a volunteer, customer, voting member, staff member, committee member or anything else!*
Voting member, customer, volunteer (membership committee & register), served as interim board member since late summer/fall of 2024.
Please share if you have practical experience in any of the following areas:
Community Outreach / Organizing
What other skills or experience do you have that would make you a good board member at the Riverwest Co-op? Have you got any prior experience with / interest in local food, retail or the cooperative model?*
I have held leadership roles in several organizations, including Milwaukee organizations as well as local/regional/national professional organizations. It's always an honor to serve as a volunteer leader for organizations I'm a part, and my skills and interests typically intersect around helping guide decision making, building group cohesiveness, and doing my best to notice who is not "at the table" and advocating for them. Prior to moving to Milwaukee, I have been a member of food co-ops in Iowa City, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Madison. I have also long been a members of CSAs. I will always have more to learn about co-op models, and I want to make sure co-ops, including the Riverwest Co-op, stay open to provide my community with options outside of traditional capitalism.
Why is the Riverwest Co-op important to you?*
The Riverwest Co-Op is especially important to me because of its role in my hyperlocal community: it has become a source of long-term social connections as well as a place where I get sustenance for myself and my family. It's provided me with opportunities to grow my volunteer and leadership experience. I want my kids to grow up seeing the existence of the Co-Op and to also join its community.
What do you hope to contribute to the Co-op by serving on the Board of Directors?*
I hope to provide some additional continuity to the board, moving from interim board member to full board member along with the current board members (which suffered some losses over the course of 2024), and work with additional new folks to help spread out the vital work of helping the Co-Op thrive.
Please submit a short bio, tell us about yourself! (500 words or less)*
I am a queer, non-binary, white parent who has lived in Milwaukee (and always Riverwest!) since 2011. Prior to moving here, I lived in various places around the country over my life from Saranac Lake (upstate NY) to Seattle, WA. I work in the healthcare sector; I was a medical librarian for years prior to returning to school and getting a BS from UW-Milwaukee and then my master's degree in genetic counseling at Madison. I am a licensed, certified genetic counselor, previously serving patients with possibly inherited forms of vision loss, diabetes, cystic kidney disease, and other possibly inherited conditions in ophthalmology, endocrinology, and nephrology. I recently started a new job with a genetic testing company. My kids will be spending the summer at Neighborhood House of Milwaukee where both have gone since infancy. My older kid, Tycho, will be going into his 3rd year at Escuela Fratney this fall when he starts 1st grade, and my younger, Samus, will be starting K3 there! They've helped me connect with community, too, and I volunteer some time with both Escuela Fratney and Neighborhood House. I am on a journey of beautiful radicalization, and being a part of this co-op and others has played a large role in that! I'm a founding member of/organizer with Healthcare Workers for Palestine -Milwaukee. And I am looking forward to getting my 9th Riverwest24 tattoo this year, riding as always with Team SCIENCE!!! and friends!