A core cooperative principle is democratic member control, which means that members can participate in making certain decisions for the co-op. This comes to life for PCC through our Annual Election, when members can vote for candidates to serve on the co-op’s Board of Trustees (Board).
PCC’s Board of Trustees provides critical oversight of and assistance to PCC’s Leadership Team in setting and achieving the co-op’s financial, operational, environmental and social goals. The Board participates in long-range strategic planning and annual financial budgeting; approves material changes in the co-op’s operations; reviews the results of ongoing strategic initiatives; and ensures that the co-op is functioning in line with its stated vision, mission and values.
Voting opens online April 14 at 12:01 a.m. PDT and closes April 28 at 5 p.m. PDT.
Each year the Board of Trustees and PCC’s Leadership Team determine key skills needed on the Board to navigate PCC’s short- and long-term strategic goals. The Governance Committee (GC) of the Board then solicits applicants for the upcoming election with the identified skills.
In 2025, the Board and Leadership Team determined that executive-level experience in retail innovation and growth strategy and in grocery and/or fresh foods supply chain were the key skills sought for the Board. In addition to these skills, a passion for PCC’s mission, vision and values, Board diversity and for-profit board experience were sought. PCC’s trustees were tasked with reaching out to their networks of professional colleagues to seek candidates with the identified skill sets, members were notified through PCC’s Sound Consumer publication and website, and PCC engaged a Seattle firm that matches potential applicants to boards as well.
PCC’s Board and Leadership Team believe that the executive-level skill sets identified each year are needed to provide valuable oversight of and input into the co-op’s governance and strategies. However, the Board’s Eligibility Criteria also deems individuals who are associated with a local competitor to PCC ineligible to serve due to unavoidable conflicts of interest. If the Board does not receive applications from eligible individuals with the identified skills who are resident in Washington state, the Board believes that out-of-state residency should not be a barrier to recruiting a candidate with valuable and needed skills.
In November 2025, PCC opened the 2026 Board of Trustees application process. In the current election cycle, there are three seats on the Board up for election. One incumbent (Megan Karch, the current Governance Committee chairperson) submitted an application to be considered to serve another term on the Board. One Board seat is currently occupied by a trustee who has reached his term limit and is not eligible to run again in 2026, and one trustee is stepping down at the end of his term.
This year, PCC received more than 40 requests for a Board application package, and over 20 individuals submitted applications for consideration. The GC, PCC’s CEO and other Board members interviewed six applicants.
Based on these interviews, the Board has placed the following individuals on the ballot: Megan Karch, Alissa Leinonen, Errol Schweizer and Susan Viscon. The three candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be elected.
Elected candidates will serve a term of three years, expiring at our Annual Members’ Meeting in 2029.
Has served on the board since 2020. Current term expires in 2026.
Committees: Governance (chair), Management Development and Compensation.
Megan is the current President and CEO of IslandWood, a nonprofit environmental education organization. Her career spans more than 30 years of leadership positions, including five years as CEO of IslandWood, 18 years as CEO of FareStart and 12 years as a VP at Humanim in Maryland. Megan currently serves on the board of the Downtown Seattle Association, with past board positions at multiple organizations in the region. Known for her social enterprise experience. Avid hiker, alpine skier and sailor.
Candidate Statement
I am honored to be considered as a candidate for the PCC Community Markets board, because I believe our member-owned co-op is one of the most powerful ways we can nourish our communities and care for the planet we share. My 18 years as CEO of Farestart and eight years as CEO of IslandWood reflect a career devoted to quality food, local communities, and environmental stewardship, which aligns with PCC‘s commitment to strengthening organic food systems and providing sustainable high-quality food for all.
Alissa is the Founder and CEO of Gourmondo Co., a Seattle-based food company she built over 30 years into one of the largest women-owned hospitality businesses in the PNW, serving large, complex organizations across the Puget Sound region. She brings deep expertise in food systems, operations, finance, branding and packaging, labor strategy, and supply chain management, with hands-on experience leading values-driven growth and navigating periods of rapid change. Alissa’s leadership has been recognized with multiple regional and national awards for entrepreneurship, business growth, and corporate philanthropy. Alissa lives in Seattle with her husband Tom and is a proud mom and stepmom of three wonderful kids.
Candidate Statement
I would be honored to serve on the PCC Board of Trustees because I believe deeply in stewarding healthy, local food systems and supporting organizations that balance strong standards with thoughtful growth. As a fourth-generation Seattleite and founder of a self-funded food business, I bring decades of operational experience, a founder’s perspective on strategy and financial discipline, and commitment to helping PCC advance its mission, values and community impact.
Errol has over 30 years of experience in the food industry and was VP of Grocery for Whole Foods from 2009 to 2016. His team grew sales to over $5 billion by supporting thousands of new products. He was awarded a NOSH Top 50 grocery industry award in 2023, a Retail Game-changer award from Supermarket News and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Hemp Industries Association. He has been a board member, advisor and co-founder to over a dozen “better for you” CPG companies and independent and cooperative grocers. He writes for Forbes and publishes The Checkout Grocery Update.
Candidate Statement
My grocery career began in food co-ops and I believe unionized co-ops like PCC are the future. I hope to share my experience in grocery buying and innovation to support PCC’s staff, customers and community to make the co-op better than ever.
Susan is a mission-driven leader who serves as REI co-op’s Chief New Ventures and Impact Officer. She founded REI Path Ahead Ventures to support diversity in the outdoor industry by partnering with underrepresented founders, and as REI’s former Chief Merchandising Officer she oversaw product assortments aligned with company values. A longtime Seattle resident, she has served on several nonprofit boards, including WestSide Baby, and owns a local winery. She is currently on the boards of the Outdoor Industry Association and Kaiser Permanente Washington, where she brings her expertise and commitment to equity, environmental stewardship and customer focused strategies. She also serves as chair of REI’s public charity, guiding the organization’s philanthropic efforts to advance outdoor access and community impact.
Candidate Statement
I am a longtime Seattle resident and local business owner with more than 20 years of experience as a retail executive at REI Co-op. Both personally and professionally, I am committed to positive leadership through board service locally and nationally, with a specific focus on organizations supporting community impact, equity, outdoor access and environmental stewardship.
A: You are eligible to vote if you were an active member of PCC Community Markets (PCC) on March 11, 2026, the record date set by the Board of Trustees. Only those in whose name the membership is issued may vote.
Q: HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M AN “ACTIVE” MEMBER?
A: You are an active member of PCC if you have paid your membership fee in full and you have used your membership at least once between March 12, 2025, and March 11, 2026. To find out if you are an active member, log into your online account at pccmarkets.com/my-account.
Q: HOW CAN I VOTE?
A: You can vote online. Eligible members who have given PCC a valid email address by April 7, 2026, will receive an email on April 14, 2026, directing them to their unique online ballot. Once you mark and submit your ballot, you will receive an email confirmation that you have voted.
If you are unable to vote online due to disability or otherwise, please contact us through our website or call 206-547-1222, and select the membership option on the phone tree, for a paper ballot. Paper ballots must be received at the co-op office by 5 p.m. PDT on April 28, 2026, to be counted.
Online voting starts April 14, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. PDT and ends April 28, 2026, at 5 p.m. PDT.
Q: ARE THE CANDIDATES COMPETING WITH ANYONE, OR IS IT AN APPROVAL VOTE TALLY?
A: There are three open seats, and four candidates seeking election, including one incumbent Trustee. PCC members can vote for up to three candidates, and the three candidates with the most votes will be elected to the Board of Trustees.
