Newsletters: July-August-September 2010
2010 Board of Director Candidates
Natural Times July/August/September 2010
Dr. Jennifer Agabiti-Hall
I moved to Tallahassee from the Atlanta area almost six years ago for my husband, Brian, to take a teaching position at Florida A&M University. Not quite knowing what to expect, it was understandably tough to leave friends and family behind. I started my small business as a chiropractor in May of 2005 and took the plunge of becoming a member of a new community and finding how I could make a difference in my new home.
As a chiropractor and fitness professional, I knew I needed to find a place that could provide my family with healthy local food. New Leaf Market was just the place. Not only did it provide the nourishment for my family, New Leaf Market made me feel “at home” almost immediately with an amazing sense of community and comradery. I knew then that I wanted to become more involved and give back to the Co-op.
Having served on the Board of Directors for almost four years now, I feel that I am finally in a place where I feel like I am able to give back more to the Board than was my first term. I attended the CBL 101 Board of Directors training in Asheville, North Carolina and the Consumer Cooperative Management Association conference in Pittsburgh last year, and those experiences gave me skills and knowledge that I have put into place in my role as a director. I currently serve on the linkage committee of the Board, including member communications and community outreach. I have absolutely enjoyed every minute of my time on the board of directors, and would love to continue to give back to the community that has given so much to my family and me.
H. Hugh Boyter, Jr.
My career with the Florida Division of Forestry (DOF) brought me to Tallahassee in 1979. Shortly after moving here I joined the Leon County Food Co-op, our New Leaf Market predecessor on Gaines Street in an old IGA grocery store. I have happily been a Co-op member ever since. (As an old-timer I still call us “The Co-op.”) I retired from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in 2007, having left DOF to become a wildlife management area planner. Prior to coming to Tallahassee, I was the Urban Forester for the City of Boca Raton. In the planning field I was a facilitator for citizen input to land management, using consensus-building skills similar to those we use at New Leaf Market. I greatly admire and advocate democratic process, and use of consensus-building for making group decisions. This kind of process is one of the many things I love about New Leaf Market, and it’s one of the reasons I would welcome the opportunity to witness the Board’s use and endorsement of consensus techniques.
In my personal life, I have been an organic gardener since 1973 when I received my Masters degree at the University of Georgia on the GI Bill. I have a Troy-bilt tiller I acquired at that time (still runs!), and I value food grown in a sustainable manner. I have done much of my shopping at The Co-op / New Leaf since I arrived in Tallahassee, and I like most of the products we offer (except, for example, those containing nitrates/nitrites or hydrogenated fats). I also like the idea of supporting local commercial producers. One of the best things we have sponsored recently is the tour of local farms and growers, even the inclusion of folks who aren’t doing it commercially, but who want to share their experience and enthusiasm. Our “constituency” has grown over the years and has made us a vital, vibrant and growing organization, and I like it!
If selected as a Director for the Board, I would enthusiastically support our current Mission, Ends Policy, and the Co-op Principles to which we adhere. However, as a professional planner my opinion is that the best strategic plans are dynamic, and are “owned” by those who must implement them. As a Director I would advocate that Board members encourage strong participation in strategic planning by members and Directors, but also and especially by the managers and employees who help us move upward on a daily basis. As a Director I would strive to be sure our business decisions would be made through a consensus among stakeholders. I think part of the responsibility for being certain we’re on the right track belongs to a good Board of Directors who provide high-level guidance without interfering with the day-to-day work routine.
June Wiaz
I thought New Leaf Market (NLM) was a great institution before joining its board three years ago. Now that I’ve had the privilege to serve a term, I can say that I know New Leaf Market is exceptional—a small but growing cadre of people who care about and actively promote healthful food, positive community relationships and foster a great place to shop and work. I would be honored to have the opportunity to continue to be a part of New Leaf Market’s Board of Directors and to continue the ongoing work to expand New Leaf Market’s influence on health and good food awareness in the Tallahassee community. The work I do for NLM is a perfect melding of two of my great passions: nutrition and environment, having worked in the environmental field for many years before becoming a registered dietitian. I look forward to the chance to serve another term.
Jim Terrell
Hello. My name is Jim Terrell and I approve this message. I moved to Tallahassee in the summer of 1982. My first Thursday in town I worked for 8 hours as a volunteer at LCFC, which later became New Leaf Market. I spent my first Saturday in Tallahassee working with Ken Beatty and Dwight Dougherty setting up sound and lights for the annual meeting. For my first several years here, I worked a Thursday volunteer shift in receiving at LCFC.
As the years passed, I was not always active at New Leaf but stayed interested in its development, since both of my sons started working at New Leaf as teenagers and both continue to work there at the present time.
When I was first approached about running for the New Leaf Board 5 years ago, I felt that it was an opportunity to give back to a place that means a lot to me. I have always felt that New Leaf was a community center in Tallahassee.
The 5 years that I have been on the New Leaf board have been a marvelous experience for me. During my time on the board, I have been on several active committees. I was also very involved in the owner loan drive during our last expansion. I currently have the privilege to work with Madelon Horwich on our PG committee which is working to simplify and clarify our policy manual.
I hope that you will give me the opportunity to continue to work on the New Leaf Board and I would appreciate your vote.
