2024

PCC Board of Trustees

Election Guide

VOTING OPENS ONLINE APRIL 10 AT 12:01 A.M. PDT AND CLOSES APRIL 23 AT 5 P.M. PDT.

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 the leadership team in setting and achieving the co-op’s operational, environmental and social goals. The Board participates in financial planning and budgeting; approves material changes in the co-op’s operations; reviews the results of ongoing business projects; and ensures that the co-op is functioning in line with its stated vision, mission and values. 
 
Each year the leadership team considers what skills on the Board of Trustees would be most valuable to them in navigating PCC’s short- and long-term strategic goals, and then evaluates the extent to which those skills are adequately represented amongst existing trustees. The leadership team provides this evaluation to the Governance and Membership Committee (GMC) of the Board to use in soliciting applicants for the upcoming election.    
 
In 2023, informed by the co-op’s current strategic priorities, the PCC leadership team determined that a trustee with executive-level experience in grocery merchandising, operations or supply chain management would be the most valuable addition to the Board. The GMC then determined that, to find a candidate with the requisite identified skills but who was not employed by a direct competitor to PCC, it would no longer require that the candidate live in the Puget Sound region. In addition to the above skills, a passion for PCC’s mission, vision and values and diverse representation are important, along with for-profit board experience as a plus.  
  
In December 2023, PCC Community Markets commenced the 2024 Board of Trustees application process. In the current election cycle, there are four seats on the Board up for election. In addition to a communication to members and readers of PCC’s Sound Consumer publication, each member of the Board of Trustees was tasked with reaching out to their networks of professional colleagues to seek candidates with the identified skillsets.   
  
From this effort, PCC received more than 30 requests for a Board application package, and 11 of those individuals submitted applications for consideration. The GMC, after considering and matching all the received applications to the desired identified skills, selected a number of applicants for personal interviews. These applicants were interviewed by groups of Board members, including PCC’s CEO. Several of the interviewees had the requisite grocery skillset identified by the leadership team. From the pool of interviewees and those incumbents who submitted applications for consideration, the Board approved a slate of candidates.  
  
The Board believes that the slate of candidates presented this year provide all the necessary skillsets to assist the leadership team in tackling strategic priorities and challenges in the upcoming years, as well as a passion for PCC, its mission, vision and values and for organic and natural foods.  
  
Elected candidates will serve a term of three years, expiring at the Annual Members’ Meeting in 2027.    

Candidates for the Board of Trustees

Rodney Hines (incumbent)

Has served on the Board since 2021. Current term expires 2024.
Committees: Management Development and Compensation.

CEO and Co-Founder of Metier Brewing Company. Champions businesses to measure success through both profitability and civic responsibility. Served as Director of Social Impact at Starbucks, and Executive Director of the Starbucks Foundation. His 30-plus-year career spans corporate, public policy and nonprofit leadership roles. Currently serves on community advisory councils for both SAM and Seattle University and advises local corporations in their philanthropic and community investment efforts. Avid cyclist and explorer.

Laurae McIntyre (incumbent)

Elected to the Board in 2021. Current term expires 2024.
Committees: Governance and Membership.

A PCC member since the 1980s, Laurae has worked at our Fremont location for 10 years. As a UFCW3000 union shop steward, she welcomes and trains new PCC staff.  Proud to be a part of the PCC community.  Spent a decade managing and facilitating meditation and yoga retreats in South India and across the United States, and also ran a small business. Her perspective is shaped by one-on-one interactions with customers and working with fellow teammates.

Donna Rasmussen (incumbent)

Elected to the Board in 2021. Current term expires 2024.
Committees: Governance and Membership.

Donna currently works at View Ridge PCC and is an active member of UFCW Local 3000. Passionate about fair trade, gender and racial equity, affordable housing, and community living. Her family has lived in a co-op community for 13 years, where she holds an active position in community leadership. Enjoys learning new skills, kayaking, laughter, meditation, walks with the dog and spending time with family and friends.

Joe Rogoff

Candidate for the Board of Trustees.

Joe brings more than 40 years of experience in and a passion for natural and organic foods. He served as Vice President, both in Merchandising and Operations, for Whole Foods Market in Northern California, before serving as Regional President for Whole Foods in the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada, and retiring in 2016. In those roles, he oversaw merchandising, customer service, community relations and all aspects of operations. Today, he advises the board of a California food co-op, serves as an elected representative for the Municipal Advisory Council of Sonoma County, and chairs the Trust Protector Committee of the Perpetual Purpose Trust (owners of Organically Grown Company). He enjoys music, gardening, hiking and traveling with his wife and dog.

Meet the current Board of Trustees

2024 PCC Election FAQs

Q: WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE?

A: You are eligible to vote if you were an active member of PCC Community Markets (PCC) on March 4, 2024, 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 5, 2023 and March 4, 2024. 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 3, 2024 will receive an email on April 10, 2024 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 email membership@pccmarkets.com or call 206-965-1514 for a paper ballot. Paper ballots must be received at the co-op office by 5 p.m. PDT on April 23, 2024 to be counted. 

Online voting starts April 10, 2024 at 12:01 a.m. PDT and ends April 23, 2024 at 5 p.m. PDT. 

Q: WHY DON’T WE HAVE MORE CHOICES? THERE ARE 4 OPEN SEATS AND ONLY 4 CANDIDATES.

A: Each year the PCC leadership team considers what skills on the Board of Trustees would be most valuable to them in navigating PCC’s short- and long-term strategic goals. The leadership team provides this evaluation to the Governance and Membership Committee (GMC) of the Board to use in soliciting applicants for the upcoming election.  In 2023, informed by the co-op’s current strategic priorities, the PCC leadership team determined that a trustee with executive-level experience in grocery merchandising, operations or supply chain management would be the most valuable addition to the Board. 
In December 2023, PCC commenced the 2024 Board of Trustees application process. In the current election cycle, there are four seats on the Board up for election, and three of four Board incumbents (Donna Rasmussen, Laurae McIntyre and Rodney Hines) submitted applications to be considered to serve another term on the Board.  
 
The Board determined (with the three incumbents abstaining from the vote) that there was great value in the continued Board service by the qualified and knowledgeable incumbents, and that they should be placed on the ballot. Ms. Rasmussen and Ms. McIntyre are staff members who provide valuable perspective from the standpoint of store staff and members to the Board of Trustees. Mr. Hines, a long-standing business leader in the Seattle area and strong voice in corporate social responsibility and community relations, provides a balanced voice on matters of profit, people and planet.  For the remaining fourth open trustee position, in addition to a communication to members and readers of PCC’s Sound Consumer publication, each member of the Board of Trustees was tasked with reaching out to their networks of professional colleagues to seek candidates with the identified skillsets.  
 
From this effort, PCC received more than 30 requests for a Board application package, and 11 of those individuals submitted applications for consideration. The GMC, after matching all the received applications to the identified desired grocery skills, selected six applicants for personal interviews by groups of Board members, including PCC’s CEO. While all the interviewed applicants had impressive skills and varying levels of relevant experience, only two candidates possessed the requisite grocery experience and skills. The GMC further determined that only Joe Rogoff possessed all the identified grocery skills, a passion for natural and organic foods and mission-driven organizations, and familiarity with co-ops through his advisory work. Based on this assessment, the GMC recommended that Mr. Rogoff be placed on the ballot along with the three incumbents. The Board chose not to place more candidates on the ballot than available seats because of the immense value that the three incumbent candidates would continue to bring to the Board, and because Mr. Rogoff’s grocery expertise, combined with his passion for natural and organic foods, is a remarkably rare combination of qualifications that makes him the most compelling candidate for the fourth open trustee position. 

Q: WERE THERE ANY OTHER POSSIBLE CANDIDATES? 

A:The Board received 11 applications for consideration as candidates to the Board, but after review of the skills and experience of the various applicants and interviews with six applicants, only two applicants had grocery skills, which were identified as critical additions to the Board to address the co-op’s future challenges, and only one applicant had all the requisite grocery skills as well as a passion for natural and organic foods and familiarity with cooperatives.  
 

Q: ARE THE CANDIDATES COMPETING WITH ANYONE, OR IS IT AN APPROVAL VOTE TALLY?

A: There are four open seats, and PCC members can vote FOR or AGAINST each candidate. Candidates are only elected and able to secure a seat on the Board if they receive more FOR votes than AGAINST votes.
 