Michelle Schry, Chair of NCBA CLUSA’s Nominations Committee and Central U.S. Development Manager for National Co+op Grocers, announced the results of NCBA CLUSA’s 2017 Board of Directors at the Annual Membership Meeting & Virtual Town Hall Tuesday.
The following individuals were reelected to the board: Joseph Bergeron, President of the Association of Vermont Credit Unions; Cornelius Blanding, Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund; Esteban Kelly, Executive Director of the U.S. Federation of Worker Co-ops; and Karen Zimbelman, Senior Director of Membership and Cooperative Relations at National Co+op Grocers.
Filling the fifth open position on the board is Hans Theyer, Executive Director of Fairtrade America and a first-time board member for NCBA CLUSA. Theyer joined Fairtrade America in 2013 as the organization’s first employee. He was born and raised in Chile, earned an MBA from the London Business School and has worked for Microsoft and Agros International, where he helped rural communities in Central America and Mexico access education, health and credit.
The NCBA CLUSA Board directs and inspires the organization. The board brings consistent focus to the association’s longer-term impacts, results, purposes and future opportunities to serve the needs of its members.
It emphasizes proactive leadership in policy development, clear distinction and respect for board and management roles, collective decision-making after consideration and encouragement of a diversity of viewpoints and evaluation of organizational performance in terms of strategic and measurable results.
Finally, the board assures excellence in governance through a disciplined approach based on adherence to the highest standard of ethical conduct in all aspects of its guidance, decision-making and leadership of NCBA CLUSA.
The NCBA CLUSA Board election is handled electronically through Simply Voting, a secure, cost-effective and environmentally responsible online platform for election services.