2025 Board Elections

Vote September 16 – October 31

The Board of Directors represents all 9,900+ owners and shapes the vision for the co-op while evaluating the current performance of the business through Policy Governance. A strong and successful cooperative depends on a highly functional and effective Board. Your co-op needs your input in guidance and leadership to continue to thrive as a cooperative business.

The Merc Co+op's Board of Directors is comprised of nine co-op owners who are elected by the general ownership and serve three-year terms. Any co-op owner may run for a board position and all co-op owners in good standing with shares paid in full by September 15, 2025 are eligible to vote.

Voting will take place through a secure, online portal as well as by paper ballots available in the store.

• Monday, September 15 — Date of Record. (Owners as of this date can vote in the election and attend the Annual Owner Meeting.)

• Tuesday, September 16 – Friday, October 31 — Elections. Ballots accepted in-store and online.

• Saturday, November 8 — Annual Co-op Meeting with announcement of elected candidates.

Questions? Contact the co-op at 785-843-8544 or email us.

Meet the Candidates

Candidates are listed in alphabetical order in the election portal.

Marshall Barber

CANDIDATE STATEMENT

Relevant work or volunteer experience

I have a background in radio, currently a licensed real estate agent in Topeka.

Previous experience with other groups

I have done some political volunteering, and I manage a small community of townhomes. Most residents are seniors on fixed incomes, so I am aware of the financial impact of grocery expenses on seniors as well as low to moderate income people.

What would you bring to The Merc Co+op’s Board of Directors?

I have a balanced understanding of the realities facing business and the needs of consumers for healthy affordable food choices.

Why would would like to serve on The Merc Co+op’s Board of Directors?

I am a happy Merc customer so would like to contribute to its longevity. Would also be interested in the possibility of a Topeka store.

Linda Dean

CANDIDATE STATEMENT

Relevant work or volunteer experience

I had my own business making prosthetics and orthotics, guiding personal development workshops, studying and teaching qigong.

Previous experience with other groups

In Chicago where I lived I was on the board of directors of the YWCA, coordinated with neighborhood team to create murals and worked with a sweet group to design and execute interactive experiences.

What would you bring to The Merc Co+op’s Board of Directors?

Appreciation of people and a good head for thinking outside the box and problem solving.

Why would would like to serve on The Merc Co+op’s Board of Directors?

I would like to serve on the board to give back and take more responsibility in creating a sustainable viable store.

Emily Green

CANDIDATE STATEMENT

I am excited to submit my candidacy for the Board of Directors of The Merc Co+op. As a longtime advocate for local food systems, a healthcare professional with more than two decades of experience, and a mother who values nutritious food and strong community ties, I am deeply committed to the mission and values The Merc represents - health, sustainability, equity, and local connection.

I grew up in Wichita, Kansas and spent many of my childhood summers on my grandparents' farm in Bucklin. Helping with the wheat harvest gave me early exposure to the hard work and care that go into farming and instilled in me a deep appreciation for locally sourced food. I can still smell the mixture of diesel, sweat, and sunshine of those hot summer days. That connection to agriculture has stayed with me throughout my life and continues to shape the choices I make for myself and my family.

After moving back to Lawrence, I became a member of The Merc and immediately felt at home. I love shopping at The Merc - you can find me there weekly with my youngest pushing her blue shopping cart; don't be afraid to tell us hello! I also love seeing the names of the local farms and it feels good to support local growers.

Professionally, I have spent over 20 years in healthcare, with experience that spans pharmacy operations, pharmacy benefit management, and healthcare consulting. I have managed a pharmacy, worked closely with patients, and more recently have served as a pharmacy benefit consultant - helping organizations navigate the complex world of prescription drug plans and healthcare access. Across all these roles, one thing has remained constant: the critical importance of preventative care and access to healthy, affordable food.

I have seen firsthand how nutrition impacts chronic health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. It's clear to me that improving access to healthy food is one of the most effective and equitable ways to improve overall health outcomes. That belief is what draws me to The Merc's work and inspires me to seek a deeper role in supporting its mission.

I am also a mother, and like many parents, I care deeply about what I put on the table for my family. I want my children to grow up understanding where food comes from, how to make healthy choices, and why local systems matter. The Merc plays a critical role in modeling those values for families throughout our community.

If selected to serve on the Board, I would bring:
- Two decades of healthcare experience, including patient care and policy consulting
- Leadership skills from managing a pharmacy and advising clients in complex systems
- A thoughtful, collaborative, and equity-focused approach to decision-making
I also have experience working with diverse teams and navigating complex challenges. I believe my blend of personal passion, healthcare expertise, and practical business knowledge would add value to The Merc's Board of Directors. I see this opportunity as a chance to give back to an organization I admire, support the local food economy, and ensure that everyone in our community has access to high-quality, healthy food. I believe in The Merc's mission and would be honored to contribute to its continued success.

Alison Gruber

CANDIDATE STATEMENT

Having managed fitness centers at the local, regional and international levels, my responsibilities as a VP, Director and General Manager have included finance ($2 million annual budget for the smallest club) and general operations for community-based as well as profit-based centers. Hired on for one fitness center that was struggling, I improved its EBITDA (net earnings) by +204% within two years after a careful assessment of staff, services, and needs of the community. We coordinated communities to build better bodies, minds and healthy futures: making movement and healthy food choices a daily rhythm. As a parent of both a public-charter and private Waldorf Schools, I volunteered countless hours to support farm to table lunches (the kids grew it, made it and ate it), classroom music and art, outreach to the local community and physical movement that fostered a deep love and loyalty to nature. With a professional pivot to my first and primary love, I shifted to full-time musician (classical singer, pianist, choir director) and music teacher with a knack for teaching the tiny steps that make the large skills achievable and fun. As a child and teenager, I volunteered in soup-kitchens and 3rd world orphanages so that I could proceed with an appreciation for what it takes and why it is so important to support others.

In service to the Merc Co+op as a member of the Board of Directors, I would bring my understanding for why local farm coordination is crucial for every community, how fiscal responsibility includes the care of the employees and vendors, how realistic expectations for health can only happen when good food is within reach and how one must see past the veils that exist to distract from truth.

My husband worked at the Merc in the early 1990s as a college student and upon our return to Lawrence five years ago, we have been in the store every single day as a constant presence. I come from a long line of committed farmers growing fields along the Two Rivers of the North (eastern Minnesota) that fed into The Red River -- they knew the treasures of their soil and what it produced. From this heritage and my own musings, I became fascinated by how food made my body feel and therefore really shaped my life. To be a part of the system that brings whole foods to my community would feel like a worthy extension of that heritage in the realm of a few of my passions: food, health, community, fiscal responsibility.

Katie Hasty

CANDIDATE STATEMENT

After 25 years as a journalist and analyst working in media/tech, I started my first small business here in Lawrence this year; my company trains people how to use AI ethically. I'm currently Vice Chairman of an executive committee for the Sierra Club, having volunteered with them and local-focused food rescue orgs like After the Harvest, Urban Produce Push, Campus Kitchens, and Excess Food Network for many years. On top of mentoring college and high school students, I'm also a mom, living in a multi-generational household. I'm an expert in communications, branding, and data-driven decision-making.

As a Kansas native, I want to learn from my local community and help where I can to make orgs like The Merc thrive. I would like to serve on The Merc Co+op's Board of Directors because I can bring an even-headedness and lived insight to subjects like policy, food, environment, and waste — co-ops have a unique structure to make a real difference in these respects.

Brad Rossini

CANDIDATE STATEMENT

I've called Lawrence my home for the last 3 years, though I've been visiting Lawrence for over 10 years. The Merc Co+op has always been somewhere I know my purchase is benefiting the local community, and I am able to directly support the people that call Lawrence home.

Throughout my life, the common theme has always been food. From growing up on a farm, managing animals and crops; to becoming a Chef, working in restaurants in Italy and across the US; to grocery where I spend time managing the daily tasks of a grocery buyer; to distribution where I sold specialty products to restaurants in CO; and finally to today, where I get work with a creamery that makes delicious and wholesome cheeses. To give back to an industry I've been a part of for so long, I've taken part in a program for mentoring entrepreneurs in the grocery industry. Most recently, my volunteer work has been at an American Cheese conference where I've also received accreditation as a Cheese Sensory Evaluator.

I see the Merc Co+op as a vital part of the Lawrence community, where members can be an active part towards a socially and environmentally responsible food system for everyone. Joining the Board, I can utilize my 30+ years experience to help support The Merc's management and owners in their success and growth. I look forward to an opportunity to serve the Lawrence community and assist in providing a reliable source of healthy, affordable, local and organic products while also investing in the sustainability and well-being of our communities.