About the Board:

The Terre Foods Board of Directors has opted to pursue a model called "policy governance" for the purposes of leading the Terre Foods Cooperative Market.  The hallmark of policy governance is to make a strong division between the domains of day-to-day operations, and the overall ends and goals of the cooperative.  The domain of the Board is to determine the overall goals, to create policies that reflect these goals, and then to ensure that these goals are appropriate, and are being met.  The domain of Operations is to implement the policies created by the Board, and then report on the success of these implementations.  Operations will be headed by a General Manager, who will be in charge of all cooperative Staff.  The General Manager will report to the Board.  Terre Foods anticipates hiring a General Manager within the next three months (as of July 2009).  Until a GM is hired, the Steering Committee takes the role of Operations.  Upon hiring a GM, the Steering Committee will take on a subsidiary role to the GM, and will eventually become defunct as staffing is hired to fill the role.

Most of the members of the Board are also on the Steering Committee, although the roles are distinct, and there are several people on the Steering Committee who are not on the Board.  In addition to our Board and Steering Committee, we have an active Membership Committee who is responsible for the creation of our membership structure and much of the event planning that gets the word out about Terre Foods.

Our Board, 2009

I'm Robyn Morton, a stay-at-home mom to two boys (ages 7 and 4).  I’ve been involved in several local/sustainable projects over the past few years.  I am deeply concerned about supporting local agriculture and building a strong community in our town.  The co-op gives me an opportunity to pursue both of these goals at once, by helping to create a local foods infrastructure in town, as well as create a community owned business which can become the hub of a variety of community-centered activities (e.g., community gardens, school food initiatives, and other community projects).

• Robyn is the all-around cheerleader for the organization.  Her roles have primarily been in organization of the effort, and in communication.  She produces the newsletters and updates that go out to our various lists, and is the main contact person for the media.
  

Tammy Tintjer, Vice-President

(Bio coming soon)

• Tammy is co-chair of the Membership committee.  She maintains the membership rolls, and is frequently the volunteer coordinator for our various events, including the Farmer's Market and the Blueberry Festival.
  

Karla Hansen-Speer, Secretary

I am an adjunct professor at Indiana State University in Geography and Anthropology. Reading Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma inspired me to change the way I eat and to look for sources of natural foods. I am committed to building a strong, sustainable community, and I am excited to be a part of bringing a natural food co-op to Terre Haute.

• Karla maintains the minutes and other legal documents for Terre Foods.  She is also our "wordsmith"--she produces most of the flyers and letters used by the cooperative.  She has been intimately involved in site selection and meeting with architects, contractors, and real estate agents. She, Robyn, and Don Richards (see below) have all been the primary force behind securing bank and external financing for the co-operative.
  

Colleen Magnuson, Treasurer

Hello, my name is Colleen Magnuson. Our family moved to Terre Haute four years ago to pursue an education at Indiana State University. Like so many people in this area, I am concerned with the quality of food that my family eats. Further, I believe that supporting our local farmers and businesses can only strengthen our community, and those things are especially important in tough times like these. I am happy to serve on the Terre Foods Board to give the time, talent and resources I can contribute to make a cooperative grocery in Terre Haute a success.

• Colleen maintains the cash flow reports for Terre Foods.  With the changing nature of our accounts, and its increased complication, we have brought in an accountant (Mark Huffman) to maintain our books.  Colleen is the liaison between Mark and the Board, keeping the Board up to date on our account status and cash movements, and relaying questions and information between the Board and our accountant.
  

Candace Minster, at-large

I became a passionate advocate for sustainable food systems while studying English and ecology at Indiana University.  I fell in love with many things living in Bloomington; bluegrass, the farmers’ market, beets, my future husband, and of course, Bloomingfoods.  The selection of bulk grains and spices, eco-friendly items, and local products made me swoon, but what really captivated me was the sense of community that the co-op fostered.  It gave the store soul and character—something that chain natural food stores can’t offer.   After moving to Terre Haute, I spent an inordinate amount of time pining for Bloomingfoods, so when I heard about a group of individuals starting a co-op in Terre Haute, I physically and metaphorically jumped at the opportunity to lend my efforts. 

In addition to volunteering with Terre Foods, I also serve on the executive committees of the Downtown Terre Haute Farmers’ Market and the Terre Haute Community Gardening Initiative.  I’m the Environmental Education and Volunteer Coordinator for White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, a ministry of the Sisters of Providence at St.Mary of the Woods, where I also manage the Wednesday Farm Market and our small apiary.  

• Candace is co-chair of the Membership Committee.  She is involved in creating the membership structure for Terre Foods, as well as event planning.  She has also been heavily involved in the site selection process and selection of services related to opening the co-op. 
  

Colin Pizerak, at-large

(Bio coming soon)

• Colin serves primarily on the Board and on the Membership committee.  He is heavily involved in membership and event planning; he is also working with the Board on it's primary task of creating a policy manual for the operation of the store.
  

Don Richards, at-large

Donald Richards is a member of the steering committee and board of directors. He is also professor of economics at Indiana State University where he teaches a course called "Food, Hunger and Sustainable Agriculture."

• Don is our primary grant finder and writer.  He has been very involved in site selection and in the selection of contractors, architects, etc., for the construction of the store.  He, Karla and Robyn are the main people working on securing external financing for the cooperative.
  

Steering Committee Members not on the Board:

Jim Speer: 

Jim Speer is a member of the Steering Committee of the Terre Foods Cooperative Market and has been involved with Terre Foods since its inception in the Spring of 2007.  He is an associate professor of Geography and Geology at Indiana State University and has been a faculty member there since 2001.  He is part of the newly forming Department of Earth and Environmental Systems and teaches classes in Conservation and Sustainability, Biogeography, and Environmental Science. 

• Jim has been the main contact for all property-related issues, including coordinating meetings with contractors, developers, architects, real estate agents, etc.