Welcome New Board Members
Congratulations to the new board members elected at the annual meeting on Oct. 29. We are pleased to welcome Noel Nix, Daniel Ramos Haaz, Hindolo Pokawa and Molly Phipps to the board of directors.
Board Function & Responsibility
In accordance with the cooperative principles, Mississippi Market is run by democratic member control. The board carries out this responsibility by establishing broad policy guidelines, recommending updates to our Articles and Bylaws – the legal documents that define and guide the co-op – and monitoring the performance of our general manager. It is the general manager’s function to implement the policies established by the board and carry out day-to-day operations.
The Mississippi Market board of directors is a policy governance board. Co-op board members have the same duties as directors of any business. The unique identity of our cooperative also means that the board must act on behalf of our member-owners. The board does not engage in operational decisions at the store level, but is legally responsible for the overall direction and performance of the co-op.
Serve on your Board
One of the perks of co-op membership is the ability to apply to run for an open board seat. Each October, co-op member-owners elect new board members for three-year terms. This is an exciting opportunity to serve your community and lead your co-op in shaping our collective future. Learn more by submitting a board interest request and we’ll get back to you with additional details.
Mississippi Market Co-op Board Members
Mississippi Market’s board of directors consists of seven to nine elected member-owners, chosen and elected by the membership-at-large, who are legally responsible for the overall direction and performance of the co-op.
Roy Berger
Secretary, Finance Committee Chair
Term: 2018-2021
Roy has a B.S. in Accounting and acted as a CPA, though he is no longer a certificate holder. Roy served as the Financial Manager for Mississippi Market for sixteen years and retired in February 2016.
Amy LaFrance
Term: 2020-2021
Drew Lein
Treasurer, Finance Committee Member
Term: 2019-2022
Drew has a B.S. in Finance and an MBA. He believes the co-op needs to continue differentiating itself from the competition through on-going customer education, engagement, and unique experiences. Drew looks forward to having a greater impact on our co-op community by applying his professional experiences in food, agriculture and finance to the board.
Laura Mirafuentes
Vice President, Board Recruitment & Development Committee Chair
Term: 2019-2022
Laura has a B.A. in English and currently works as the Big River Farms Program Manager for The Food Group. Laura believes the co-op must continue reaching new audiences in order to become more reflective of the larger community while providing a greater customer base to support small, local vendors.
Noel Nix
Term: 2020-2023
Noel holds a B.S. in Marketing and Master of Urban and Regional Planning, and currently works in the St. Paul Mayor’s office as an adviser on community informed economic and infrastructure development.
Molly Phipps
Term: 2020-2021
Molly has a Ph.D. in Free-Choice Learning, Science Education and Oceanography and is the Executive Director of the West Side Farmers Market.
Hindolo Pokawa
Term: 2020-2023
Hindolo has a B.A. in Political Science and Global Studies, a Master of Liberal Studies and a Master of Arts in progress in Comparative & International Development Education. Hindolo is the Farm Manager at Frogtown Farm.
Daniel Ramos Haaz
Term: 2020-2023
Daniel holds a Master of Science in Computing Science and an MBA and works as the controller for National Co-op Grocers.
Lauren Siegel
President and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee Chair
Term: 2018-2021
Lauren has a Master of Social Work, a Master of Public Policy, and is employed as a Case Management Redesign Policy Analyst with the Minnesota Department of Human Services. She believes food cooperatives have a unique opportunity to promote social justice causes and be a positive influence in their communities.