daily Co-op’s board election 2020
jenny Gallucci
Jenny is a recent graduate from the University of Georgia with degrees in Geography and German with a passion for urban agriculture, reducing food waste, and bridging gaps in our local food systems. She is now a program manager for Concrete Jungle, a non-profit that harvests excess produce from local farms and underutilized fruit trees for donation to food pantries. An unwavering sense of community and love for the local initiatives, business, and organizations that make Athens, Athens (which Daily is a huge part of) has kept Jenny here. In her free time she rides her bike everywhere, visits the State Botanical Gardens, volunteers at Athens Land Trust's urban farm, and cooks and eats awesome meals.
Why would you like to serve on the Daily Groceries Co-op Board?
My passion for food in Athens brought me to the Daily Co-op. I would like to serve on the Daily Groceries Co-op board because I want to be more a part of advocating for a socially responsible, sustainable, food system in Athens. I feel that the mission of the Daily Co-op fits in well with my personal passion and work I do through Concrete Jungle. A position on the board of directors would be a unique way in which I can continue to serve my community and get more involved in the Athens food world as well as support my professional goals; there may be a day I need to get a board together for Concrete Jungle in Athens and insight into the board operations of Daily would be great experience for me.
How can you and your life experiences bring value to the Daily Groceries Co-op board?
My work with Concrete Jungle has equipped me with a unique perspective on food waste and our food system as well as leveraged me with a unique network of non-profits and community leaders including, but not limited to, those involved with food assistance and sustainability in Athens that I feel is valuable to the co-op. I also would bring with me my knowledge of local growers, experience working in the food waste/sustainability sphere, passion for locally sourced food, and general knowledge of food-related happenings in Athens.
Describe your experiences working collaboratively in a group setting.
My history of work in group settings is diverse; I have worked in teams that vary from being a part of a software develop SCRUM team, a team of assistant gardeners at the State Botanical Gardens, and the leadership team I’m a part of now with Concrete Jungle and my internship through NASA. I value transparency, honesty, and inclusion and am comfortable navigating conflict and having tough discussions in a group context. Decision making by consensus is important to me—I value an environment in which everyone is comfortable speaking.
The Daily Groceries Co-op Board does not deal with operational matters. It does deal with overall policies that identify and guide the mission of the organization. How do you see the board maintaining and expanding on the broader vision for the Co-op?
I imagine the board as a multi-use tool for the co-op to create and maintain community partnerships, listen to community needs and identify opportunities for daily to better serve Athens, and strive to continue to be as responsible, sustainable, and accountable as possible. In my mind, the logistics of this include being creative and engaged at board meetings and leveraging my pre-existing network of connections to support daily as a board member.
How can Board members better represent the opinions of the membership and the larger Athens community?
Board members can better represent the opinions of members and the larger Athens community by being creative in garnering feedback, proactive in reaching out to underrepresented audiences at Daily, intentional about valuing opinions of a diverse group, being open-minded, and open to criticism and new ideas.