2025 board elections

Board elections are live! Member-owners, place your vote for the Daily Co-op Board of Directors October 20th through November 2nd. Member-owners will be able to vote online or in the store starting the evening of October 20th. Results will be announced at the annual meeting on November 11th at Athentic Brewing.

Please find candidate information and link to online voting below. Direct any questions to board@dailygroceries.org.

2025 Board Candidates

Below you will find information on the nine (9) candidates for the 2025 Daily Board of Directors election. Member-owners will be able to vote for up to seven (7) candidates to fill the seven open positions on the Board.

Click HERE TO VOTE

Candidate name: Marci Mendel White

Place of employment/role or position: Professional vegetable gardener
Education and/or life experience:
- Earned a BFA from UGA with a focus in ceramics, and continues to make ceramic art
- Earned Montessori teaching certificate and was a Montessori teacher for preschoolers for 9 years
- Worked on organic farms around the country for about 5 years, and currently works as a professional vegetable gardener
- Founder of Rabbit Box Storytelling (local personal storytelling event series). Was the director for 2 years and on their board for 4.
- Initiated the Boulevard Woods Park project and worked with the ACC gov't and local stakeholders for 5 years to lay the groundwork for the park.
- Was Vice-Chair of the ACC Democrats' Candidate Development Committee and was part of ACCDC's executive board. (2017-2019)
- Served on Daily Grocery Co-op's board (1998-2001)
- Volunteer mentor with Clarke County School District Mentor Program (2022- present)
Candidate statement: “Daily Groceries Co-op has historically had a very involved membership. I would like to see this be the case again. The Co-op can and should be a vibrant hub in our community, centered around healthy, sustainably-sourced food. Like most of the people I talk with, I'd love to see Daily be a fully stocked, full-service grocery, with competitive pricing. Food co-ops around the country are actually doing really well right now. Daily could be, as well!

Part of what Daily needs from its leadership is a commitment to transparency, inclusion, clear communication, and the democratic processes in our core documents. As a board member I'd work with the board to propose appropriate changes to the bylaws, which the membership would vote on.

I've been a Daily Co-op member since its beginning. For many years I was a working member, helping out as a cashier, stocker, cleaner, and deli worker. My favorite job as a working member was contributing to and editing the monthly Daily newsletter, which I did from 1997-2006. Over that time I interviewed more than 80 members for the Working Member Spotlight column. I also served as a Board member for 3 years after Daily moved to its second location in 1997. Later, I was an employee at Daily as a deli worker and then the deli manager. What do I have to offer the Daily board?
- I'm a good networker and organizer. I've lived in Athens for 33 years and know a lot of wonderful people with various skill sets.
- I enjoy helping empower people to act on their good ideas and use their skills and knowledge to benefit the community.
- I like to help facilitate efficient meetings and get things done.
- It's important to me that everyone in the Daily community has the opportunity to express their concerns and ideas to Daily's leadership.
- I'm a good reader and editor.
- I have a flexible schedule.

I would very much like to support Daily in bringing back some version of the working member program. Having working members creates a group of people who feel personally invested in the Co-op, and it’s an amazing way to foster connections and build community.

Not only does the board need to maintain the governance structure and engage the membership, but they are also responsible for hiring and "rigorously monitoring" the general manager to make sure they are doing what needs to be done to meet the co-op's objectives. If elected, I look forward to working with a group of proactive, cooperative people to get Daily back on its feet and make our Co-op the best it can be.”

Candidate name: Laureen Niehaus-Beckner

Place of employment/role or position: I currently serve as the Chair of Program Committee & Active Member of the Boulevard Garden Club in Athens. In addition, I work part-time as a Daily Associate, bringing a grounded perspective on the day-to-day operations that shape customer and member experiences.
Education and/or life experience: Before retirement, I spent my career as a social worker and later as Development Director at Santa Maria Community Services (SMCS) in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I led fundraising and strategic growth initiatives. After retiring, I owned and operated Shake Shack Nutrition for six years, blending my passion for wellness and community collaboration.
Candidate statement: “My board experience includes service with SMCS, the now-closed New Life Transitional Living, The Village Green Foundation, and the Boulevard Gardening Club. I specialize in strategic thinking and organizational sustainability. With the Board’s support, I hope to help develop a five-year strategic plan while addressing immediate priorities identified by Co-op management, such as funding for a new POS system and essential maintenance improvements.”

Candidate name: Joshua Reeves

Place of employment/role or position: Manager
Education and/or life experience: High school. Farmer, butcher, chef long term cooking experience. 30 years. Farmed and lived off grid on an island 23 miles off the coast of Maine.
Candidate statement: “I feel I'm really good with people. My experience in the food industry has given me the opportunity to help customers pair their food items. I know my way around the kitchen and veggies.”

Candidate name: Chris Roland

Place of employment/role or position: Sevananda Natural Foods / General Manager
Education and/or life experience: BA in Business / 24+ years in food co-ops
Candidate statement: “I have extensive experience in all aspects of food co-ops, including serving on boards of directors. I've been visiting Athens, shopping at Daily for 15 years now and know what a special place it is. I understand that it's going through a rough patch and want to do anything I can to help. I'm not trying to get inside and do operations if that's not needed/allowed, but I'm sure I can be of service in other ways. Thank you and good luck with the board elections. I know how much work goes into them!”

Candidate name: John Sangiorgio (Incumbent - appointed to the Daily Board in January 2025; current Interim Treasurer)

Candidate statement: “As Interim Treasurer of the Daily Grocery Co-op, I have worked to bring a clear and accurate financial picture to both the Board and membership for the first time in five years. I am seeking to continue my service on the Co-op Board to further strengthen our fiscal transparency, enhance community engagement, and ensure the co-op meets the diverse needs of its members.

My professional background in healthcare marketing with ZOLL Itamar, combined with a Master’s degree in Business Administration, equips me with expertise in strategic planning, financial, marketing, communications, and organizational development. I have a proven record of collaborating with teams around the world, building consensus, and facilitating productive discussions focused on shared outcomes.

I believe that listening to members, promoting open communication, and making decisions transparently can strengthen our connection with the Athens community and foster a truly inclusive co-op. My commitment to transparency and collaboration will help advance the Daily Grocery Co-op’s mission and ensure its long-term sustainability.”

Candidate name: Nadine Sunderland

Place of employment/role or position: Self-employed
Education and/or life experience: MEd Instructional Technology and Masters in Public Health
Candidate statement: “Like many long-time members of Daily Groceries, the Co-op has been a memorable part of my Athens experience. It opened its doors the first week I arrived in 1992; I had the honor of being the first customer, a long-time working member, and serving on the first Daily Groceries board. I left Athens in 2000, but it always felt like home, and I visited often. When I moved back in 2021, I saw that the Athens grocery market had changed significantly. Multiple gourmet food shops, specialty and discount groceries, and farmers’ markets had popped up, potentially competing for Daily’s customers. Still, I believe the Co-op can fill a void in the market with the level of intention and community direction that only a co-operative can provide. I would like to serve on the Daily Groceries Co-op Board because the Co-op has long served as a community touchpoint in Athens, bringing together those who value healthy, locally and ethically produced foods. 

With the challenges Daily Groceries faces now, we have an opportunity to refocus on what makes the Co-op a unique, valued, and market-worthy addition to the Athens community. In the past two decades, I have led strategic communications and instructional design for global health and international development programs, collaborating with cross-cultural teams and international partners working in low-income settings. While the scale and setting differ, I believe my experience could support the strategic planning and marketing research that Daily Groceries needs to undertake in the coming months. I also hope my experience can support the Board in developing multiple pathways of communication with our owner-members, ensuring we once again give them a voice in the Co-op and continue working together so that the Co-op remains viable for now and in the future.”

Candidate name: Aaron Thompson

Place of employment/role or position: UGA, Soil Science Professor
Education and/or life experience: Soil Science MS and PhD; Chemical Engineering B.S. Co-op member since I moved here in 2008. Prior to that co-op member in Tucson, AZ, Bloomington, IN, and Ann Arbor, MI. My work interfaces a lot with Agriculture and environmental systems. I manage several grants with budgets around $300,000 typically. Also manage and advise students and staff. Director of Graduate Studies in the Crop and Soil Science Department.
Candidate statement: “I am running for the Daily Co-op board because, now more than ever, community engagement is of the utmost importance. We are all eaters. All of us have a stake in the food system and a stake in preserving community control of our food system. My work at UGA gives me many opportunities to engage in professional, academic, and student-centered communities. But, as an Athenian, I also want a strong local community that works collectively to bring us a food system that reflects the needs and values of Athens. When I moved to Athens in 2008, knowing it had a co-op instantly made me feel more at home. Decades ago, during my last year of college in Ann Arbor, I lived in an intentional community house of ~20 people and, of course, I shopped at the co-op. I was amazed at how much money I could save by buying in bulk and how, by cooking just once per week to fulfil my work-share, every other meal was prepared for me and all the dishes cleaned. (Just don’t ask how long the consensus-structured meetings took.) From these experiences, I learned how powerful—and empowering—collective decision-making can be. I now practice this in my job at UGA, which (since 2024) includes directing graduate studies in my department. I am proud that after a decade of chaos, our graduate students are building a robust student organization that is poised to meaningly contribute to departmental governance and decision-making. I felt similarly proud when I was honored to serve on an early career task force for the Soil Science Society of America. The soil science society (yes, I am a soil scientist, but after almost 30 years, I’m OK if you call it dirt) has been around for nearly 90 years, but they desperately needed to make some changes back in 2007 when they invited me and around 12 other graduate students onto a task force focused on charting a new way forward. We worked through our ideas collectively and proposed a short list of changes for improving all aspects of the organization—including some tough budgetary changes. Over the next decade, I was proud to see nearly all our suggestions be implemented and watch the society emerge stronger than ever. I see the Daily Co-op Board as way I could work toward embodying these values in my local community. I view the Daily Board’s role as charting a vision and guiding policy that sustains the Co-op as a conduit for our local community to interface with the food system. This means fiscal health, social health through vibrant community connections, and environmental health for a better world—the three pillars of sustainability.”

Candidate name: Michael Wegner (Incumbent: appointed to Daily Board in January 2025)

Place of employment/role or position: Self employed musician
Education and/or life experience: B.A. in Sociology, 10 years of co-op management, decades of active interest in co-ops and natural foods
Candidate statement: “I’ve been a Daily member since the Co-op opened its doors on Oct 17, 1992. My strong interest in natural foods & healthy eating led me to become Daily’s grocery buyer and store manager for most of the Co-op’s first decade. With floor space and finances both being limited in those early years, I could only dream of the opportunities our current location offers us - a deli, a commercial kitchen, tables out front for community to gather etc.

Daily has so much potential right now. But that potential has yet to be realized. Last year I joined the Board, expressing concerns about declining sales and high grocery prices. I proposed that Daily work with NCG (the co-op network that represents & supports 240 co-op stores nationwide) to help widen our product selection, bring prices down and increase our sales.

I have visited dozens of co-ops while traveling cross country in recent years, and I’ve noticed they are generally bustling and thriving. After speaking with managers and staff at these co-ops, it became clear to me that Daily could also be thriving with NCG’s help. I’m happy that the Board has finally decided to engage with NCG, and I think member-owners will soon see their grocery needs much better served.

Being across from a large hospital, I believe Daily could become a regular lunch destination for Athenians, which would help the Co-op strengthen its connection with the local community (while also expanding our customer base and improving our financial stability). I’d also love to see Daily eventually offer workshops, cooking classes, and educational materials… perhaps an ice cream counter in the summer .

I’m inspired by seeing so many Daily member-owners recently becoming more involved, and volunteering to help make improvements at Daily. I’d love to explore new ways for member-owners to contribute their time and skills. If elected to the board, I look forward to the chance to be more pro-active in helping our little co-op grow into its full potential!”

Candidate name: Drew Weing

Place of employment/role or position: Published Graphic Novelist / Freelance Artist
Education and/or life experience: BA from Savannah College of Art & Design
Candidate statement: “Hello, I’m Drew! I was the Daily Deli manager from 2011 to 2014. Before that I was a deli employee, and a volunteer before that. My wife Eleanor also worked her way up from volunteer to produce manager. When we first moved to Athens after graduating from SCAD, back in 2004, we ended up living a block away from the Prince Avenue location, and quickly became part of the Daily community. When I first got involved, Daily was just coming out of a pretty rough patch. I became part of a passionate team, led by new manager Andrea Malloy, who went above and beyond to turn the store around. We joined the National Cooperative Grocers, computerized the store, expanded hours, more than doubled the staff, and grew sales by the double digits year after year. NCG’s resources were invaluable in teaching ourselves how to manage a modern co-op. I even designed the updated apple logo that’s still on the store today. In 2014, I left my manager role, to pursue illustration and cartooning full-time. 

Over the pandemic, my wife and I (and our new baby) ended up spending a few years away from Athens, but followed from afar as Daily moved to its new location. We were excited when we returned to town and rejoined the Daily community (and somehow ended up once again living a block away from Daily). But I’ve been dismayed by the recent trouble the store has once again found itself in. I would love to help be part of a second turnaround, as a board member or not. Daily has such potential not just as a store, but as an inclusive and progressive space the community needs, especially during these dark times.”

Role of the Board

The role of the Board is to represent the membership to establish a vision for the future of the Co-op and govern the cooperative towards these ends. At Daily, our Board governs via our By-Laws and our Policies. In addition to governance, the Board provides fiduciary and management oversight.

Our Global Ends Policy (listed below) is used to guide our organization in every decision that we make. The general manager regularly reports on Daily’s progress toward achieving our Ends. 

Board meetings are held the third Wednesday of every month from 5-6:30 pm in the back room at Athentic Brewing. All Owner-Members are welcome to attend. The 2025 Board of Directors calendar is posted online and available for viewing in person at the Daily near the coffee station.

Contact the board

Contact the board by emailing board@dailygroceries.org.

Our current board of directors, listed alphabetically:

  • Katie Boyle

  • Jane Link (employee representative)

  • Mary Lopez

  • Stephanie Raines

  • John Sangiorgio

  • Troy Simon

  • Michael Wegner

Governance Policies

Board Minutes

Board meeting minutes from the past two years are posted below. Looking for older meeting minutes? Visit the board minutes archive.