Board of Directors

Every limited company like our Co-op has a board of directors which in our case is elected or appointed by the members.

The board of directors is the Co-op’s administrative body and acts on the members’ behalf between annual general meetings.

The Co-op’s Board of Directors plays an important role in the well-being of Lumby, it demonstrates how a community can democratically take control of its food supply, support its members, farmers and producers in sustainable ways. Like any company, the Co-op Board works on behalf of our member/owners. That means your family, friends, neighbours, co-workers!

What Does the Board Do?

Honours the vision, mission and mandate of the membership.
Decides upon and implements the strategic long-range plans and policies.
Hires and oversees new employees.
Holds ultimate accountability for management of our resources and performance of its volunteers and employees.
Acts as trustees on behalf of the Co-op’s members.
Moves towards being a policy-driven board with less responsibility around operations.

Qualifications

A Director will:

be a fully paid-up member in good standing of the Co-op for a minimum of 30 days prior to nomination and election at the Annual General Meeting.
be over 18 years of age at time of election and/or appointment.
not be an employee and/or contractor of the Co-op.
have a genuine desire to assist in the success of the Co-op and not act in a conflict of interest that is detrimental to its operation and that success.
be willing to be actively involved on committees, and cooperatively work together with fellow directors, appointees and volunteer staff, and the membership at large for the common good of the Co-op.

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Roles and Responsibilities

As representatives of the membership, directors have the legal right to operate the Co-op. They must manage or supervise the Co-op’s business and affairs. They can use all the powers of the co-operative to do their job. Sometimes the Co-op’s Rules will limit what the directors can do. These limits must not prevent the directors from doing their job as laid out in the Co-operative Association Act.

Specific Responsibilities:

Collectively set goals, objectives and administrative policies
Adopt long term business strategic plans
Regularly connect with store staff, volunteers and membership to co-operatively share ideas and recommendations regarding Co-op operations
Put plans in place for succession of the Board of Directors for future years

2020-2021 Board of Directors

Chris Bauman

President

Chris has been a Co-op member and volunteer since 2015 and a board member since 2016. She has been on several boards in the past and is particularly passionate about this one as the Co-op and what it stands for is very much in alignment with her own values. She loves to work with people, is goal-oriented but has learned the power of process and the camaraderie that can result from people pulling together with egolessness, commitment, and enthusiasm.

Julie Pilon

Vice-President

Julie has volunteered as a director since 2018. She regularly connects with store staff, volunteers and members to share ideas and recommendations regarding the Co-op. Julie genuinely desires to see the Co-op succeed as a business in our community. In the last year Julie has taken on the roll of the Vendor Liaison which has taken her to various communities within the Okanagan in order to seek out new vendors and their unique products to be sold at the Co-op. Julie is very excited to work with the new board of directors.

Sylvie Desjardins

Member at Large – Treasurer

Sylvie Desjardins has been a co-op member since 2018. She has been our Treasurer this past year and is committed to this position long-term. She keeps the books, does the monthly financial statements and provides analysis and guidance for moving forward. She is an associate professor of Mathematics and Statistics at UBCO. Her range of interests includes an academic project on threatened butterflies of the South Okanagan Similkameen.

Gillian Browning

Member at Large

Gillian has lived in the Okanagan her entire life. She has owned SunFire Systems (selling stoves and solar) for 30 years, in Nelson and Lumby. She runs an Icelandic horse ranch, has been a ski instructor at Silver Star and is a pilot. Her commitment to Lumby and giving back to the community, has been a driving force. Being on our board of directors is an important part of that.

Jen Hannah

Member at Large

Jen joined our co-op in 2017. You can see her frequently in our store with her children. Gracie has the honour of being our youngest volunteer at the age of 5! Jen has always been inspired by working with the community. She has been a Community Support Facilitator for Post Partum Support Services, a teacher of Music at Crystal Lake Montessori School and a care aid. She supports her husband in his Bubble Wonders business and is presently working in architectural design training.

Amanda Lishman

Member at Large

Amanda grew up in the area, married and is raising her own children here. By home schooling, she is able to work from home for the family business of commercial and residential construction, Seventythree Logistics Ltd. She also owns Ayelle Design, creating gemstone bracelets, teaches North Okanagan Instant Pot cooking workshops, and Right as Grain Sourdough Sisters bread baking workshops. She has always been led to “feed the people”, oftentimes en masse, and feels pulled to inspire others by sharing recipes, local well sourced ingredients, then preparing and eating together. She is deeply committed to volunteering, learning from and giving back to our community. it, with an aim to educate and nourish our people with healthy abundance.

Contact

Email the directors.