Dear Co-Op Owner,
Warm greetings to you all! We are thrilled to extend an invitation to our cherished community members for a significant milestone event – the Swarthmore CO-OP’s 86th Annual Owner’s Meeting. This gathering is a wonderful opportunity to connect, reflect on our journey together, and discuss the path that lies ahead for our beloved co-op.
Event Details:
Date: Thursday, April 18th
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Park Avenue Community Center, 129 Park Avenue
During the meeting, we’ll delve into the state of our store, share updates, and collaboratively envision our future. It’s a time to celebrate our achievements, acknowledge our challenges, and set the course for another fruitful year.
Lite Fare, Beer, and Wine: To make our gathering even more delightful, we’ll be serving a selection of lite fare, along with refreshing beer and wine. It’s our way of saying thank you for your continued support and dedication to the co-op’s success.
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Thank you for being an owner of the Swarthmore CO-OP and taking part in selecting our next board. Please place your vote below and indicate if you will be attending our Annual Meeting on April 18, 2024.
New Board Members on the Ballot for 2024
Dana Bauer
The Swarthmore Co-op has been an essential part of Dana Bauer’s daily life since she and her family joined in 2015. She values its selection of quality ingredients for cooking, tasty prepared foods, and ideal, walkable location. Dana is running for the Swarthmore Co-op Board to ensure this important community resource continues to thrive and serve the needs of its members.
By day, Dana works as a geographer and software developer, skills she’s eager to bring to the table. She hopes to be an advisor on key technology decisions and help make the transition to new software and systems as smooth as possible. With her knack for understanding communities through data, she can support the Co-op’s efforts to reach a broader mix of people and grow its membership.
Belonging to the Swarthmore Co-op has strengthened her family’s sense of connection to the community. Dana’s husband cooks all the time and walks to the Co-op several times a week to grab groceries. Her teenage daughter makes dinner once a week and stops there after school to gather ingredients. Dana enjoys running into neighbors and chatting with the friendly and helpful staff.
She is eager to contribute this blend of personal investment and professional expertise to the Board and help shape the future of the Swarthmore Co-op.
Matt Schroeder
Matt Schroeder has been a Swarthmore resident since 2017. He is currently a Financial services professional with First Citizens Bank, serving as the Head of Product Development for the Wealth group and was previously employed with Silicon Valley Bank and J.P. Morgan Chase. He specializes in strategic planning, design, and execution, and ongoing management of investment solutions and services. This involves a high level of collaboration and coordination across various interests and needs; ultimately resulting in enhanced experiences for clients and targeted outcomes for the business.
Personally, Matt and his wife Bridget met and were later married at Villanova University. They have three children: Johnny (10), Maeve (7), and Owen (4). Now that his children are slightly older, Matt has considered new opportunities to contribute within the community. He is neighbors with current Board member John and his wife Tayler Moots; and Matt and John have discussed the Co-Op Board activities for some time, eventually showing interest to join.
Anita Barrett
Anita Barrett’s professional experience – particularly serving as the former Swarthmore Town Center Coordinator – makes her a unique candidate for the role of Co-op board member. Much of Anita’s career has focused on leading transformative projects or change initiatives. A fixer and a doer, she knows how to effectively solve problems and drive change while keeping an organization’s core mission and values at the forefront. Anita is especially adept at event planning, membership engagement, and marketing. You’ll also find that she has a reputation within the community for getting the job done. In 2020, Anita was recognized with the Vocational Service Award by the Rotary Club of Swarthmore.
Anita is drawn to the Co-op because it is the cornerstone business of Swarthmore Town Center. As the downtown continues to grow and evolve, it will be important for the Co-op to influence and leverage these opportunities. By deepening her understanding of the business and its objectives, she aims to be a valuable asset to the Board.
Anita – along with her husband and son, Vince and Griffin – has lived in Swarthmore for 10 years. She enjoys volunteering with the Swarthmore Farmers Market and BSA Troop 112.
Lori Kettering Knauer
Lori served on the Coop Board from 2016 – March 2020, when she stepped down to open a new restaurant and community gathering place, Village Vine Wine Bar + Bistro, originally scheduled to open April 2020. When the pandemic hit, Lori instead worked with the team of loyal Coop volunteers helping to stock shelves and pack home delivery and pick-up orders. Village Vine eventually opened in August, 2020, and Lori coordinated all aspects of the restaurant with her partner, taking the lead on finance, budgeting, and human resource issues, through its sale at the end of 2023. Lori previously worked for 30 years as an attorney, focusing on employee benefits, 401(k) investment issues, HR and employment counseling, and data privacy compliance.
Lori and her family moved to Swarthmore in 2000, do virtually all their food shopping at the Coop, and value the Coop as the true community anchor of our town. She’s excited to re-join the Board and help the Coop grow and thrive.
Current Board Members on the Ballot for 2024
Lauren Shohet – Complete the final two years of her second term April 2024 – March 2026
Vibhat Nair – Complete the final two years of his second term April 2024 – March 2026
John Moots – Seeking 3rd Term April 2024 – March 2027
