Please read through these questionnaires to inform your voting. Votes are due by February 14th, 2026. Join us at our annual meeting on February 15th to hear the election results!
Katie Anderson
Why do you want to serve on the board?
Over the past few years, I’ve felt increasingly drawn to personal responsibility—in community, care, service, and advocacy. Serving others makes me feel fulfilled and connected to humanity. As a lifelong central Iowan, living in Newton, Ames, and throughout the Des Moines metro, I’ve developed deep roots here. This community brings me genuine joy, and I want to invest more intentionally in its growth.
Supporting local is integral to my life. I shop at independent stores for gifts, source local beans for my morning coffee, enjoy date nights at local farms and restaurants, and support my friends’ businesses, sharing the love of local products with others. Visiting local businesses and discovering what makes them special is one of my favorite things to do! I get excited browsing online forums for a new restaurant, bar, or shop to explore, hoping some will become my new regular spots. I don’t view these as just transactions; they are connections to the people and values that make this community so special.
The Iowa Food Cooperative addresses one of the most critical issues of our time: food access. What excites me most is the potential to expand that access, reaching more people and helping current members navigate our systems more easily. I’m passionate about making systems work better, building authentic connections, and improving how technology serves people. I see opportunities to simplify how people discover products, understand what the Co-op offers, and feel confident using the online platform. My goal would be to make participation feel natural and straightforward, so more people can benefit from connecting with local producers.
The website’s statement, “Creating a network built on personal interactions is our goal,” perfectly captures what draws me to this position. Board service feels like the natural next step in my commitment to caring for this community. I want to contribute what I can while leaning into my growth mindset by learning from the experienced leaders already serving. I’d like to deepen my understanding of our food systems, grow as a leader, and help ensure the Co-op continues to thrive for years to come.
What’s your current involvement in the IFC?
I’m currently a member and have been serving in an interim position on the board for the past few months. I’ve attended two monthly board meetings and have started to attend marketing meetings on Wednesdays where I’ve collaborated with the team by discussing strategies for gaining new members, converting trial members, and improving our spaces both in person and online.
What experience and skills would you bring to the board (include info here on your business)?
Natural Foods Retail: I’ve worked in local and natural foods at both the Wheatfield Co-op in Ames (in the deli post-college) and Whole Foods Market in West Des Moines, where I was a buyer for the supplements/body care and bulk departments. This gave me a solid understanding of how co-ops and natural food retailers operate, what customers are looking for, and how to work with vendors and manage product selection.
Customer Service: I have over a decade of experience in hospitality and retail, working as a server, a friendly face behind the bar, and a manager. I’m very comfortable representing a business to the public, whether that’s staffing a booth at a trade show, chatting with customers, or speaking at community events. I try to always lead with an authentic communication style, and I genuinely love evangelizing for businesses and causes I believe in.
Technology/Design: By trade, I’m a UX/product designer. And just in case, that’s a new concept—you know when you go to a website and can’t find what you’re trying to do, or you go in a circle, or you don’t know which button to click? It’s my job to make sure that doesn’t happen. I basically ensure online/app experiences are easy and pain-free to understand and navigate. I currently work remotely for a social media management software company, Sprout Social. Before that, I designed the cart/checkout and fulfillment experiences at Hy-Vee. I helped drive larger basket sizes and meet customers where they are in their online shopping journey, including designing features to assist folks using WIC and SNAP benefits. I’d love to lend my expertise in enhancing the Co-op’s digital experiences.
Marketing/Creative: I’ve done a lot of freelance work in marketing, especially on social media, and have experience creating campaigns and video content. I’m also passionate about copywriting and love well-crafted marketing and technical copy. I’m comfortable with video editing, and I’m pretty tech-savvy overall. I stay up to date on the best tools to help craft engaging content, creative assets, and operational efficiencies. My background in psychology also means I’m comfortable conducting interviews and research. I’d love to do a “listening tour” with prospective and current members, producers, and the board to better understand everyone’s needs and help shape improvements that expand our reach and encourage more participation.
Can you name two favorite products that you purchase at IFC?
I always check the Prepared Foods section first (I love discovering items that make my life easier and more delicious). Right now, my favorites are Nourished’s African Peanut Stew and their Chia Pudding bowls. My staples are Brun Ko Farm eggs and Kalona Supernatural 2% Cottage Cheese. And if I can list just one more thing, HoQ’s hot sauce is so tasty and the newest addition to my fridge’s condiment section.
What else would you like us to know about you?
I live in Ankeny with my partner, Judson, and our three pets: Gus (a golden retriever) and cats, Curry and Nugget. I’m a member of the Ankeny Art Center, where I do their pottery open-studio program (right now I’m making a very cute set of Christmas ornaments for handmade holiday gifts). Creative and educational stuff keeps my brain happy, and I’ve been reading a ton more this year, both fiction and non-fiction.
I recently started volunteering with Des Moines Refugee Support. I help out at their events and spend several mornings a week driving toddlers to preschool. It’s been really rewarding getting to know these kids and their families, being a reliable presence in their lives, and lending a hand wherever it’s needed.
Austin McMulin
Why do you want to serve on the board? I believe the Iowa Food Cooperative, and groups and organizations like it, which seek to provide healthy and independent food and quality goods independent of the industrial food systems, are one of the most important defensive acts an individual can take against a number of growing existential threats to that face humanity as a whole. I believe Iowa is in a unique position to act as a role model for these reforming these larger systems as well, and the Coop has a unique position in that fight as being an independent sphere of exchange for both the producers and the consumers.
What’s your current involvement in the IFC? My family and I are currently just consumers. In the past we have assisted with drop-offs at the Indianola locations, transporting the good from Des Moines one evening. We have a small homestead, where we have been developing a peach orchard, and annual gardens each year. Our production is finally reaching a point, that in the next several years we hope to get more involved with the Iowa Food Coop at the producer level.
What experience and skills would you bring to the board (include info here on your business)? Our idea moving forward with our homestead based business is looking to provide lovingly-family made goods and services direct from our homes to other people’s. Back in 2016, our family made the dramatic shift from being born and raised city folk from Des Moines, to living on a small rural property in southern Warren County. This decade plus journey has been accompanied by a vigorous education in everything agricultural and homesteading related.
We have a deep passion for both Des Moines and the state as a whole, and have developed relationships with all sorts of producers and consumers, from our local farmer’s markets in Indianola and Chariton, Iowa, to our neighbors who are currently doing Big Ag farming and cattle raising. Our mission as a family, is to help those who want to transition into a homesteading and healthy living more generally. The Coop seems like the perfect place to continue developing this personal relationships, and helping to build the change we want to see in the world.
Can you name two favorite products that you purchase at IFC? Too many to just name two! We especially love al the yogurt product from Country View Dairy. And especially love the story, ethos and the pork produced from folks Pleasant Grove Homestead.
What else would you like us to know about you? I’m rowdy and opinionated! I think quality, healthy food is a extremely serious issue and one that people need to get passionate about! Food and water sustainability is a human rights issue, not a cultural fade or trend, I think both producers and consumers have to take their roles much more seriously and actively as both.
Parker Grimes/Iowa Wildcraft
Why do you want to serve on the board?
I want to see the Iowa Food Cooperative succeed. Without the IFC more small scale farms will close.
What’s your current involvement in the IFC?
I am a producer, member, volunteer, and my partner is a staff member. This gives me a unique perspective of the IFCs operations.
What experience and skills would you bring to the board (include info here on your business)?
In my professional capacity, I lead a team that has helped me hone my problem-solving skills. As a producer, I operate a small-scale farm business and deeply appreciate the value of the Iowa Food Cooperative.
In my volunteer work with the IFC and Cultivate, I attended the 2025 Argus Farm Stop Conference in Ann Arbor, MI. This opportunity allowed me to learn about the IFC software and gain insights into how other local food businesses operate.
I believe these experiences and skills would allow me to contribute effectively to the board.
Can you name two favorite products that you purchase at IFC?
Sneek Gouda from Frisian Farms
Grass Fed Ground Beef from Mendenhall Farm
What else would you like us to know about you?
My partner and I operate Iowa Wildcraft, and we participate in most events at the Iowa Food Co-op & Cultivate events. I have several ideas on how we can make the IFC more sustainable, as I would like to be a meaningful part of building up this local food community.
Andrew Frana
Why do you want to serve on the board?
I feel I could bring a depth of knowledge and valuable experience from my various endeavors. My rural background helps me appreciate each vendor and what it takes to go from planting a seed to harvesting crops. My business background helps me understand what it takes to market and sell those products in the most effective and efficient manner. My experience gained from working on numerous other boards helps me effectively communicate with other passionate individuals on how to best lead and direct projects aligned with the values of IFC.
What’s your current involvement in the IFC?
I have partnered with the IFC on a collaboration beer here at Brightside Aleworks. We used Kernza from one of your local producers – Lee Tesdell. Through that partnership we were able to raise over $500 for the IFC.
We also hosted a farmer’s market at our brewery and were able to provide discounted and free vendor booths to IFC and IFC affiliate vendors.
What experience and skills would you bring to the board (include info here on your business)?
I have been a part of several non-profit boards and city level boards as a member, an officer and a co-chair. Everything from treasurer and vice president of a brewer’s non-profit, to working on City of Altoona boards including Parks Board, Arts and Culture, and joining the citizen’s academy this spring to better understand the inner workings of city departments and their functions as the relate to building a better community. I also helped co-chair the committee that successfully planned and executed the arrival of RAGBRAI through our town in 2023, which was quite the undertaking as we worked with several city departments, dozens of vendors, scores of volunteers, and thousands of bikers the day of the pass through.
Can you name two favorite products that you purchase at IFC?
I have purchased Kernza baked goods from IFC affiliate growers. I have also bought fresh veggies several times from the IFC at our farmers market. I have enjoyed every product and look forward to purchasing more directly from the store on a biweekly basis.
What else would you like us to know about you?
I grew up on a small farm in NE Iowa where we highly valued the farm to table aspect of our food supply. It would not be uncommon for family meals to consist entirely of meat, produce, and foraged goods from our farm or the immediate local farms as well. Those experiences guided my path to Iowa State where I worked to get a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Agricultural Engineering. I used that knowledge to help improve water quality projects both as a private consultant and then as an engineer with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Your cooperative and mission aligns closely with how I choose to live and what I wish to add and improve within my community. I believe I would be a great addition to the IFC board and look forward to hearing from you on next steps. Thank you.
Shane Isley
Why do you want to serve on the board?
About six years ago, my wife and I made the decision to understand more about the
food we were consuming and where it was coming from. We have learned quite a few
things along our journey, but the overarching theme was “We can do better”.
Initially, we found a grocery delivery service that specializes in sourcing ingredients from
organic sources. As we became familiar with the ingredients, we searched for sources
that were more local to our market and economy. After a few months of farmer’s market
visits we found Iowa Food Co-op, the solution we were looking for. While we are still
learning our process, we are very happy to have IFC as a local source for the food our
family needs.
I would be honored to serve on the board of an organization that shares our family’s
passion for healthy and sustainable food sources. The continued growth and success
of groups like IFC is imperative to our local markets who continue to support businesses
and farmers that produce these items.
What’s your current involvement in the IFC?
We are customers of Iowa Food Co-op.
What experience and skills would you bring to the board (include info here on
your business)?
My professional background is filled with nearly 20 years of executive-level experience
in finance, accounting, and strategy across non-profit, public-purpose, and private
organizations. My roles have allowed me to be exposed to extensive financial,
strategic, and governance objectives across non-profit, public-purpose, and privately
held organizations. My typical role would include board-level financial reporting,
budgeting and forecasting, cash-flow management, and long-term financial planning
and regularly presenting financial results and key metrics to boards and stakeholders in
a clear, decision-focused manner, supporting effective fiduciary oversight.
Involvement in non-profits such as Iowa Center for Economic Success (Director of
Finance), East Polk Innovation Collaborative (Board President, Vice President, and Past
Member), Building Brighter Dreams (Consultant), Altoona Parks Board (President, Vice
President, and Member), and numerous other committees provides me with a proficient
understanding of the financial obstacles non-profits are challenged with on a routine
basis.
Beyond finance, I contribute a strategic perspective shaped by years of executive
leadership and advisory work. In my roles as a finance leader, I have partnered closely
with operational and board level leadership teams on strategic planning, program and
operational evaluation, capital and debt sourcing, and long-term sustainability. I
understand the balance non-profits must strike between impact, accountability, and
financial stewardship, and I am committed to being a thoughtful, collaborative board
member who helps advance the organization’s mission and long-term success.
Can you name two favorite products that you purchase at IFC?
• In season produce
o Greens like arugula and romaine are a staple for us.
• Hummus and Falafel
o Iowa City producer, Oasis, is our go to for both of these items.
• Bread
o We try to keep this limited, but it is very hard.
§ The Croissant Sourdough is really good!
• Snacks
o I am a sucker for snacks at checkout!
What else would you like us to know about you?
My family and I live in Des Moines, Iowa and are eager to aid in the effort in creating a
healthy and sustainable food supply to our local market.
Catherine Rihm/Meadow Blazing Star
Why do you want to serve on the board?
I would love to be a part of the board as a producer member in order to do what I can to help the IFC continue to exist for the local community indefinitely. Since joining the Coop in 2016, it has become a valuable part of our family’s weekly routine, whether we are buying something or preparing our products to fulfill orders (or both). I feel like the IFC and its staff, volunteers, producers, and customers truly enrich my life, and serving on the board is a way I can give back to the organization and everyone involved. Being on the board in the past has helped me stay informed and up to date regarding daily life at the IFC and its processes and goals, and I have learned so much along the way. All of that knowledge helps me better champion the Coop when talking with others about its unique value and encouraging them to consider membership or to stop by and shop the retail shelves or a market. The IFC is such a unique and important space for both producers and consumers, and I would like to continue to do what I can to increase its exposure and growth.
What’s your current involvement in the IFC?
Currently I serve as a producer member on the board. On the consumer side, I shop with the IFC online nearly each cycle. Since I live very close to the Coop, I can easily also stop by the retail shop weekly to buy what I need in between cycles, to add items to accompany my online order during distribution, & to restock our business’ spot on their retail shelves with our Meadow BlazingStar Honey products. When possible, I love to attend IFC markets both as a producer and as a customer.
What experience and skills would you bring to the board (include info here on your business)?
Our family’s small business is Meadow BlazingStar Honey; we have been operating for over 13 years out of our home in the Beaverdale neighborhood, caring for about 250 hives in and around Polk County. We proudly offer honey, beeswax, and propolis products from our own hives. My background is in working with independent bookstores for over 30 years, with my various responsibilities including purchasing, inventory control, operations, marketing, accounting, and personnel–all of which inform my ability to help handle those aspects of our own small business. I greatly value customer service and expect both to give it and to receive it. I am stronger than I look and can run a pallet jack in heels if need be. I like to think these aspects of my past and current experiences would serve to offer help in a variety of ways to the board and the IFC as a whole.
Can you name two favorite products that you purchase at IFC? Admittedly this is a tough one as there are so many products that I love, but in particular we eat an embarrassingly large amount of cucumbers (thank you Red Barn Produce and Crescentia Farms) and Greek whole milk plain yogurt from Country View Dairy.
What else would you like us to know about you?
I would love to see the IFC flourish for a long time to come and am often talking about it with friends, coworkers, our honey customers, and those who shop with us at our farmers markets.
I am an ultra-local shopper and purchase as much on our family’s grocery list as possible from the IFC, obtain many of our garden plants there in the spring, and like to give Coop products as gifts, too.
I love that the Coop allows us to know more about the producers and their practices, gives opportunities to meet and to help us know more about who we are purchasing from, offers quality products, and allows more money to remain with the producers. It is pretty nice to buy carrots from someone and know the color of their eyes and perhaps how their grandma is faring.
The sales opportunities it provides for our family business is a significant and steady part of our income. Sales from our Coop customers have in part allowed us to recently purchase farm land that we cherish and have dreamed about and needed for a long time. This will give us a beautiful space to more efficiently look after our hives and run our business, and we are excited about and grateful for the opportunity to protect, nurture and explore this gorgeous area. We also hope it will help lure our teen and our hound dog off of the couch.
Diane Alexander
Why do you want to serve on the board?
I have been an active IFC member for nearly five years and am deeply committed to supporting locally grown and produced food. I regularly attend local farmers markets and value farm-to-table experiences that highlight IFC producers. I consistently promote the IFC and its events within my community to elevate awareness of local producers. My background in science and nutrition, combined with experience serving on other boards, would allow me to support the IFC’s mission and help advance its growth goals.
What’s your current involvement in the IFC?
I’ve been an IFC member for almost five years and have attended various events like the HOQ benefit dinner and Farmer’s Markets.
What experience and skills would you bring to the board (include info here on your business)?
I hold a PhD in microbiology and currently serve as Vice President of Sales in the dietary supplement industry. This combination provides me with a strong foundation in health and nutrition, as well as strategic and leadership experience. I bring a deep understanding of the critical role that fresh, locally produced food plays in supporting a healthy diet and overall well-being.
I also have served on the board of the Milo Public Library for five years and the Council for Responsible Nutrition (trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food/beverage industry) for two years.
Can you name two favorite products that you purchase at IFC?
- Boneless Capon Thighs from Holdeman Capon Cuts
- Microgreens from Lee’s Greens and Nourish Iowa
What else would you like us to know about you?
I live in a rural community, Milo, approximately 45 minutes south of Des Moines, where I see firsthand the vital role farmers play in sustaining both the local economy and community well-being. Buying locally not only strengthens communities but also provides transparency and trust in knowing where our food comes from and how it is produced. This perspective grounds my commitment to advancing a food system that values local farmers, sustainability, and community connection.
Emily Roberts
Why do you want to serve on the board?
I love Iowa Food Co-op, its mission, and its programs. I want to help it succeed
and see Des Moines’ local food scene grow too. I miss being involved in local
food (outside of shopping) and would love to share my expertise.
What’s your current involvement in the IFC?
I am an IFC member, shopping nearly every sales cycle. I love coming in each
Friday to see staff, volunteers, and the store’s offerings.
What experience and skills would you bring to the board (include info here on
your business)?
I am a former staff member of a partner food hub in Iowa City, Field to Family.
During my four years with F2F, I served as an Operations and Program Manager,
overseeing farmer and customer relationships. The small nonprofit did retail
sales via a weekly online farmers market and wholesale sales to schools,
pantries, restaurants, and grocery stores. I have also managed an in person
farmers market in North Liberty. I am passionate about local food and its ability to
make a community thrive.
Can you name two favorite products that you purchase at IFC?
Picking two will be hard!
Old Capitol Tofu has no contenders. It is seriously the best and I purchase at least
1 block per week for my family. Jake has his recipe, packaging, and logistics all
figured out!
I put Organic Greens’ radish microgreens on a large swath of my meals. The
burst of nutrition, slight spice, and satisfying presentation keep me coming back.
What else would you like us to know about you?
If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out. Thanks for your
consideration.