The Phoenix Earth Food Co-op is governed by a board that is elected by its members. At the yearly membership meeting, held on Sunday, October 29, 2023, the following candidates were elected:
- Adrienne Armstrong
- Tom Fine
Two seats were left empty, but member Shaun Neal was appointed by the board. Such appointment is always temporary, until the yearly meeting.
Board Meetings and more
The board’s regular meeting time is now the fourth Wednesday of each month from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. Exceptions from this schedule (often in November and December) will be announced as soon as possible. As long as there is risk of contracting COVID-19, all these meetings will be held on line. All members ask Anita Levin (contact page) about joining a meeting.
Applications for board candidacy are accepted throughout the year. Application forms are available at the store or can be downloaded in several formats: Word, OpenOffice, PDF. One can apply on line, too.
Board Members
Adrienne Armstrong
President
I am a life-long resident of Toledo, Ohio. I have been a vegan for almost 20 years. This is how I came to know the co-op. I have been a member off and on since 1998. I have two wonderful children who are also vegan. I have been an elementary-school art teacher for 15 years. I had the great privilege of co-owning and operating a health food store and restaurant for a short time. I believe these experiences will help me in this new adventure!
Term Began 2015/10/18 | Term Expires 2026
Hermann von Grafenstein
Vice President
In the past I have contributed to the Co-op’s outreach efforts by co-developing and maintaining the Co-op’s website, by organizing tables at events and by donating to advertising efforts. I have been the Board’s secretary for three years and in that capacity have taken responsibility not only for record keeping, but more generally for ensuring continuity and follow-up. As president I will make an effort to improve transparency of the Board’s actions, seek input from members and increase their active participation in Co-op affairs. My goal is to strengthen the Co-op community and help the Co-op find a stable path towards prosperity and growth.
Term Began 2012/01/30 | Term Expires 2024
Anita Levin
Secretary-Treasurer
I have been a member of this coop since inception. I also was a leader in a local food buying club for many years. Prior to that I was an organizing member of Common Grounds Food Coop in Madison, WI, and served as the ordering supervisor. I volunteer often and am very community minded. I have lived in Toledo the past 26 years.
I am at a turning point in my career and find I will soon have the time to commit to the Phoenix Coop. I am a practicing attorney and nurse. I think I have skills and insight that will be beneficial to the future development of the coop.
Term Began 2012/12/02 | Term Expires 2024
Tom Fine
I have been a life-long resident of Northwest Ohio and am an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toledo Medical College (formerly Medical College of Ohio) where I have been employed for more than 30 years. I have been a member of Phoenix Earth Food Co-op for the last 3 years and served on the Relocation Committee. I also shopped at the Earth Food Co-op, the predecessor to Phoenix.
I have previously served on a number of boards both local and international, including the Ide Center, the Zepf Center, the Ohio Mental Health Counselors Association, and the International Rest Investigators Society. I have held officer position in several of these organizations.
I would like to see Phoenix earth Co-op achieve financial security by increasing its membership base and annual sales.
Term Began 2012/12/02 | Term Expires 2026
Alyx Kendzierski
I have volunteered countless times at a wide variety of occasions, and feel as though it is my duty to contribute what I can, when I can to my community and its members. I was an active participant in the Girl Scouts from kindergarten through junior year in high school, and through the organization was able to organize and carry out hundreds of programs and events that were the sole benefit of others (although we did get awesome badges for it).
I credit my time as a Girl Scout for providing me with the knowledge and experience to work both with a team as well as independently in real-world scenarios with the goal of organizing and executing ideas that benefit the community both at home and abroad. I earned the Girl Scout equivalent of the Eagle Scout Award (in Boy Scouts) for coordinating a day-camp for young girls to raise awareness and educate them about animals, their diversity, their role in our global ecosystem, and how crucial it is for us to protect them and their environment.
I also volunteer at the Collingwood Garden, the Ashland Garden, as well as a courier for the Old West End Historical Times monthly paper. I am well-versed in everything from customer service to operating computer systems to organizing inventory to clerical work and have experience in all of those areas. And, I really, really love Phoenix and support the principles it stands for.
Term Began 2013/10/06 | Term Expires 2025
Sándor Halász
I was elected to the board in 2008. Since then I have been on the board through one trouble or another, learning ever more about the business of being on a Board of Directors, of which I was largely ignorant—now I fully appreciate parliamentary procedure, and the principle that however much the board is to the coöp, the members that compose it by themselves are nothing special.
I consider continuity and institutional memory very important.
Term Began 2018/10/18 | Term Expires 2024
Monika Perry
Term Began 2022/10/23 | Term Expires 2025