Grow the Co-op

Thank you for your interest in deepening your connection with our Co-op by being a prospective candidate for Board of Directors. The experience of serving on the Ashland Food Co-op Board is rewarding and engaging. We invite you to join us on this governance level. The Ashland Food Co-op (AFC) has a diverse ownership, and we encourage owners from a variety of backgrounds and experiences to apply.

Our store is a consumer-owned for profit cooperative that is governed by a board of directors democratically elected to oversee the cooperative. Our owners will be voting in June to fill the open positions.

Our Board Candidate packet contains specifics about being a Board Director, details of the election process and an application. To apply, you must be an AFC owner. Please contact our Board Administrator with any questions. Our Board meeting minutes and meeting announcements are posted on a bulletin board as you enter the store. You can also find archives of Board meeting minutes on the Co-op website.

You are invited and encouraged to attend an information meeting for all interested Board Candidates on Wednesday, March 11 from 5:00PM-6:00PM in the Community Classroom, 300 Pioneer Street and attend the Board of Directors meeting at 6PM to see our Board in action. To receive meeting details, please RSVP by email to boardofdirectors@ashlandfood.coop.

We hope to meet or hear from you soon. Thank you and best of luck in your candidacy for the Ashland Food Co-op Board of Directors.

Closing Date for Applications is
Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 9 PM

There are up to three seats, each serving a three-year term

Board meetings are held on the second Wednesday evening of each month and last approximately 3-4 hours. Prep time for Board meetings generally requires several hours of reading. There are other Board responsibilities, listed on pages 6-7 of this document, which include Board committee meetings and other activities with AFC that will involve an additional 6-10 hours per month. Some meetings are in person and some are online. Board Directors will serve as a Board officer at some time during their term. Board officers will spend approximately 120 additional hours per year serving the Co-op.

To qualify as a candidate for the Board Director positions, you must be a Co-op owner and participate in a screening interview with the Board Nominating Committee to check for basic qualifications and potential conflicts of interest. The Board Nominating Committee will read all applications and then schedule interviews with candidates between April 1 and April 3, 2026. All candidates who are forwarded by the committee will be notified and officially entered into the election process. Forwarded candidates will be asked to submit a 150-word campaign statement and to provide a high resolution photo, which will be published in election materials.

Prospective candidates are invited to attend an information meeting on Wednesday, March 11 at 5PM in the Community Classroom, 300 Pioneer Street. This is an opportunity for all prospective candidates to learn more about the role of a Board Director and to have any questions answered. Prospective candidates should also attend the March Board of Directors meeting, immediately following the information meeting. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to receive meeting details by contacting the Board Administrator by email at boardofdirectors@ashlandfood.coop.

For additional information or questions regarding candidacy, please contact the Board Development Committee, at boardofdirectors@ashlandfood.coop.

MARCH 11 • CANDIDATE INFORMATION MEETING, 5PM

Attend the information meeting for potential candidates on Wednesday, March 11 at 5 p.m. in the Community Classroom, 300 Pioneer Street. Board Directors will be present to answer your questions. Attend the March Board Meeting directly after.

MARCH 26 • FILE DATE

You will need to submit a Board Candidate Application by Thursday, March 26 at 9PM. Applications are submitted online

APRIL 1-3 • INTERVIEW

The Nominating Committee will schedule your interview between April 1 and April 3.

APRIL 9 • NOTIFICATION

Forwarded candidates will be notified by April 9.

APRIL 21 • STATEMENTS & HEADSHOTS DUE

Candidate statements are due to AFC Marketing by Friday, April 21. Schedule headshots with the Marketing Department by April 21

APRIL 29 • VIDEOTAPING

Candidates will be videotaped for the Co-op website on April 29. All candidates will be asked the same questions for a short, videotaped interview.

MAY 18 • ELECTION

Voting by E-ballots begins on May 18 and ends on Monday, June 8 at 9 PM.

JUNE 12 • ELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT

Ballots will be counted electronically the morning of June 9. Candidates will be notified on the afternoon of June 9 and announced to the public on June 12.

JUNE/JULY DATE TBD • ORIENTATION

New Board Directors will receive a detailed orientation.

AUGUST 12 • FIRST BOARD MEETING

Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at 6PM. Board Directors meet at 5PM for a pre-meeting discussion.

Directors have the right and responsibility to present further evidence and argument to the Board for additional consideration in a manner consistent with the Board’s practices, and the Board shall have the duty to reconsider its actions.

If a Director has any actual or potential conflict of interest in any manner under consideration by the Board or by a committee exercising the authority of the Board, they have the affirmative duty of full disclosure. Such interest shall be made a matter of record in the minutes of the meeting. Disclosure must include the existence of the relationship, the nature of the conflict (i.e. financial, family ties, etc.), and the intention to not participate in the decision regarding the matter, as well as the intention not to participate in deliberations leading up to the decision. They must abstain from voting on the issue and using their personal influence on the matter. (Bylaw section 4.6 Conflicts of interest.)

These requirements should not be construed as preventing the Board member from briefly stating their position in the matter, nor from answering pertinent questions from other Directors since their knowledge may be of great assistance. If, as a result of being on the Board, a business advantage comes to the attention of a Director they must always defer to the Co-op. Only after an informal evaluation, and a determination by their disinterested peers, should the Director pursue the matter for their own account or the benefit of others.

Except as to matters reserved to owners by law, or by our Cooperative Bylaws, the corporate powers of the Co-op shall be exercised by or under the authority of the Board of Directors. At all times Directors shall recognize that they project an image as representatives of the Co-op and shall conduct themselves in a professional manner which fosters confidence and reflects positively on AFC, its owners, its staff and its Board. (Bylaw section 4.1 Powers and duties.)

If the Board finds that a Director is in violation of any aspect of the Cooperative Bylaws or Code of Ethics it may request that Director’s resignation following the process outlined in Section 4.9 of the Bylaws. (Bylaw section 4.9 Termination.)

Positive relations between the Board, AFC staff and owners are vital. When approached by a staff member or owner regarding a management issue, follow the AFC Board “Procedure for Handling Board Director Contacts from Owners, Customers or Staff Members.”

Directors are free to express their personal opinions or interpret Board decisions as long as it is clearly presented as personal opinions and not as a statement from the Board. Board Directors shall never present or characterize views of another Director. Directors must always receive approval from the General Manager before making of staff that would require any substantial time or effort on their part