Meet the candidates running for the Board of Directors! Each candidate was asked to answer these 5 questions:

1. Why are you interested in serving on the Board of Directors?

2. Briefly describe any experience you have had with co-operatives and not-for-profit organizations.

3. Briefly describe any experience you have, and your commitment to, the ongoing work of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI).

4. What has been your experience working with groups and what is your approach to group dynamics?

5. Is there anything else you would like the membership to know about you?

Each candidate has provided a short statement in response, sharing who they are, their connection to the Co-op, and why they’re seeking a seat on the board.

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by first name.

Ready to vote? Polls open May 1. Cast your ballot here. 

2026 MNFC Board Candidates

Ashley Peluso

The Middlebury Co-op has been my special place for 20 years. I came to Vermont in search of community, kindness, and connection, and found it all here. I have since made my home in New Haven and have come to find peace in the Middlebury community with my pup Oliver.

My career has been dedicated to ensuring a safe, quality, and trustworthy food supply for our loved ones and neighbors. I bring over 18 years of food quality and regulatory affairs experience – working across a wide range of products including coffee, poultry, peanut butter, alcohol, and baked goods. I have developed and implemented domestic and international food safety systems, guided organizations through complex regulatory landscapes, and built programs that protect public health and support sustainable, responsible growth at both the state and federal level.

I am passionate about working for local and non-for-profit companies such as Edesia, a partner to USAID. They produce fortified peanut butter pastes for malnourished children globally. Since moving to Vermont, I have worked with local companies such as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Woodchuck Cider, and Westminster Cracker Company. For the past decade, I’ve worked closely with Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF) to ensure that when a product says “organic,” it carries the integrity our community deserves. In addition, I oversee third-party certifications including Kosher, Gluten-Free, Vegan, and Non-GMO. My experience in regulatory compliance and labeling allows me to thoughtfully evaluate product label claims and advocate for transparency—ensuring that marketing aligns with genuine health and wellness benefits.

I would be honored to share my experience with the Board of Directors to ensure the Co-op’s long-term sustainability and to ensure that the organization continues to deliver safe, high-quality, and honestly represented food to our community.

Barbara Hofer

One of the first things I did in moving to Vermont in 1998 was to join the Middlebury Natural Foods Coop, then a small storefront. Being part of the continued growth since that time, as a member-owner and for the past three years as a board member, has given me perspective on the essential role the co-op plays in our community. We provide quality food, an economic alternative, a democratic model, a hub for community life, a dynamic connection to local producers and farmers, and a workplace for the extraordinary staff who bring it all together.

As chair of the Board Development Committee for two years and as a member of the Long-Range Planning Steering Committee, I am committed to helping reflect on our first fifty years and the values that ground us and helping plan for our future. I would appreciate serving another term on the board to continue that work and all that lies ahead.

I have broad experience with cooperatives, including as founding member of a food cooperative in Florida, and as board member of a food coop in Kentucky, two nursery coops and a housing cooperative in Michigan. I worked for four years as Co-Director of Circle Pines Center, a peace and justice recreational and educational cooperative, reporting to a Board of Directors and working closely with member owners. I see coops as providing a critically important alternative economic model, a way to put values into action, and a means of practicing democratic ownership – all more important now than ever. I have served on other boards, regionally and nationally, from the American Camping Association to the American Psychological Association. At Middlebury College I served as chair of the Psychology Department, Faculty Council, and Appeals Committee.

I am a mostly retired psychology professor, continuing to write and educate about science denial, the subject of my most recent book and a topic of deep concern. I’m an avid outdoorsperson, a doting grandparent, a budding Spanish learner, and an enthusiastic cyclist.

Over a long career I have participated in many trainings in diversity, equity, and inclusion. In teaching Educational Psychology I have actively taught about fundamental aspects of inclusive classrooms to future teachers. My involvement in the coop board has helped deepen my awareness, as I have learned enormously from other board members, deepening my understanding of the concepts and my commitment to actively practice them together.

Caitlin Harder

Food has always meant a lot to me. Growing up, I spent summers in France with my grandmother, picking up ingredients from local farmers, butchers, and cheesemakers, and summers in Norway foraging for berries. Those experiences quietly shaped the way I think about food, community, and where things come from, and honestly, they’re a big part of why I ended up in Vermont.

Almost two years in, New Haven (and the larger surrounding community) really does feel like home. I came here drawn by its values: local food, community resilience, sustainable living. MNFC has been part of that picture from the start. It’s clear to me that MNFC is so much more than a grocery store. It’s a reflection of what this community actually cares about, and I want to help shape where it goes.

At the start of this year I joined the newly formed “Building Community Gathering Spaces” task force in New Haven, a grassroots effort focused on creating spaces where people can genuinely connect. Even just a few months in, it has lit something up in me. Getting involved locally has a way of building on itself, and I find myself wanting to do more, to channel this energy and excitement into something meaningful. Serving on the MNFC Board feels like the perfect expression of that: food, community, and where the two meet.

I come to this with a background in collaborative leadership, building teams where people feel heard, decisions feel fair, and different perspectives make it into the room. I’m not coming in as an expert in food retail or cooperative finance. I’m coming in as someone who cares deeply about this place, knows how to work well with groups, and is ready to put in the time.

I’d love the chance to contribute to MNFC’s mission. Thanks for considering me!

Jozef Harrewyn

Let me introduce myself. Belgian born 1952, raised in South Africa, returning to Belgium at the age of 22. My life journey has been one of adventure and fulfillment with lots of diversity. Born into a family of bakers, pastry chefs and chefs, I followed suit.

Apprenticeship in South Africa, followed by Culinary schools in Belgium and France. Hired by Four Seasons Hotels International at the following properties: Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver, Houston and Chicago.
Hired by N.E.C.I Vermont 1992 as a chef instructor.
Made President Clinton’s inauguration cake with selected students.
Opened Chefs Corner Cafe & Bakery in 1997 Williston VT. Retired in 2022.
1985 World Culinary Olympic Frankfurt Germany for the South African national team.
Sponsored by Four Seasons Hotels to do TV culinary demos and National competitions.

Married to Pamela with two sons Brent and Ashton and to grandkids and two amazing daughter-in-laws. With great sadness after 38 years of marriage Pamela passed from cancer, she was a saint. We have always felt very privileged to be able to live in VT and raise our sons here. Ashton attended UVM and Brent Burlington College both in the Film and photography industry.

The community is amazing, friendly, caring, kind and welcoming to immigrants, as we were. Having recently moved from S Burlington to Monkton July 2025 your CO-OP is a Gem to be appreciated. I have also joined the VT Sun Gym. Because of my international background and love for people and the community I feel that I could contribute a lot to your CO-OP. I love music, nature, wining & dining, cycling, comedy, laughing, nature and above all being kind to all. I have had experience in Motivational Speaking to students and at Grief retreats. I love the feel and atmosphere of your CO-OP. It’s peaceful with excellent variety and filled with a lot of obvious dedication by your amazing team.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my application.

Kristin Hocker

As a relatively new member of the community, I feel immense gratitude for the opportunity to serve on the Co-op Board this year. It helped me achieve my personal goal to be actively engaged in the community. In addition, this opportunity has expanded my knowledge about how co-ops function and contribute to thriving communities. I was especially inspired to learn about the historical roots of the cooperative and mutual aid models that enhanced the survival of Black Americans since first arrival, and contributed to the structures of the buying clubs that eventually formed the co-ops we enjoy today. Engaging in professional development opportunities broadened my understanding of board members’ fiscal responsibilities and how cooperative economic models contribute to the co-op’s ends such as “fostering a vibrant local economy”. These values and models have always been important to me and are core motivators for joining the co-op as a member-owner when I moved here. Yet being immersed in the discussions and decision-making that substantiate how those values are employed has encouraged my commitment to serve.

I hope to continue serving on the Board during this momentous time as the co-op celebrates its 50th Anniversary. I’m eager to continue contributing my skills and perspectives as the board engages in upcoming strategic planning work, in addition to continuing serving on the board development committee and identifying opportunities for board members to fully engage and expand their knowledge and skills. I look forward to continuing to learn about the co-op’s origins, operations and its long-standing impact on this community and my new home state.

Back in Rochester, NY, I served on three diverse boards for local non-profit organizations, including serving as board chair for the MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence. My previous board experiences help me appreciate the intentionality in which the co-op board focuses on cultivating positive, functional relationships, navigating the distinction between governance and operations, and committing to engage in equity work. The past 20 years of my career I have been championing cultural environments in which people feel valued, thus feeling inspired to continue showing up and doing good work. I am deeply encouraged by the board’s commitment to engage in equity work, recognizing the value of inclusion is reinforced through action. These commitments reinforce writer-activist, adrienne maree brown’s, reminder that our survival depends on our ability to stay in relationship with one another.

Michal Woll

Hello, neighbors. I’m new to Middlebury, not to Vermont, and not to co-ops. My decades of co-op experience mirror the history of MNFC, encompassing buying clubs, small storefronts, an urban, four-location chain, and co-ops with work options or work requirements. What they shared are the commitment to structures and products that promote health, ethics and sustainability, create community, and empower owners and employees. MNFC sits in a sweet spot, big enough to stock a wide array of products while small enough to connect with owners and staff. Our robust co-op was a definite check in the benefit column in our decision to move here.

My professional background includes experiences and skills relevant to the mission and working of our co-op. My corporate career was with the first large company (Gore-Tex) to adopt a non-hierarchical structure rooted in cross-functional collaboration and interpersonal dynamics. Not surprisingly, it is employee-owned! Then, as a physical therapist doing home-based rehab with non-profit VNAs, I served everyone from athletes to the chronically disabled, driving from mountain-top vacation homes to trailer parks. In decades as clergy, I am often the only employee of congregations managed by volunteer boards. My ordination is through a Jewish denomination grounded in facilitation and values-based, consensus decision-making and I recently trained in facilitating conversations across differences. A progressive leader, one of my successes has been introducing income-sensitive community investments in place of rigid dues structures to support a diverse and thriving membership. I’ve also supported community justice issues, including coordinating an interfaith community food shelf.

Although I work part time in Rutland, I have gotten rather involved as an MUHS sports mom, a reading mentor at Mary Hogan, and a preparer of tax returns through CVOEO. As a MNFC board member, I can make a long-term, systemic impact. I have so enjoyed engaging with board members, employees, and owners and learning about MNFC’s history, successes, and challenges. Naturally drawn to integration, I think about the hub of the board/ management/ staff Venn diagram and how to make that more robust and am also excited to explore ways the co-op might expand its potential as a community center—bringing more folks in and sending more love out. This is not the first time I’ve considered joining a co-op board, but with the transition to Middlebury, this is the first time the stars have aligned to make it both feasible and inviting.

Mila Hamel

I am Mila Hamel from Cornwall. Me, my husband Alan and son Gabriel consider CO-OP a valued part of our lives. It’s where we shop for food we trust, support local producers, and connect with neighbors. I see our CO-OP as one of the institutions that helps make this Middlebury community strong and grounded.

I’m running for the Board again this year because I believe a cooperative succeeds when it is thoughtfully governed by its members. Strong oversight, transparency, and long-term stewardship matter – especially as the CO-OP balances affordability, sustainability and support for local agriculture. I would like to contribute to that work and help ensure decisions reflect the interests of the members of our beloved CO-OP.

My interest in natural healthy food and responsible sourcing goes back to my childhood, gardening with my parents and grandparents, and continues today through my own gardening at my house in Cornwall. It has shaped how I think about food systems, resilience, and care for the land, and local producers.

Professionally, I work as a business consultant, and lived and worked in several countries in Europe, prior to settling in the USA twenty years ago. I am used to collaborating with diverse groups, listening carefully, and helping teams make practical, well-considered decisions – skills that translate well to cooperative board service.

Serving on the CO-OP Board would be a meaningful way for me to give back to the community I value. I would be very grateful for your support and the opportunity to serve the membership with care, thoughtfulness, and respect for what makes our CO-OP so special.

Thank you for your consideration!