Current Board Members

Tony Vernon (Staff Director)

2023–2026
Finance Committee

I first moved to Bellingham in 1999 and joined the Coop shortly after arriving in town. Though I’ve moved about a bit, I’ve had fixed Bellingham roots the past 15 years. I began working at the Cordata Co-op in 2021 (after four applications and four interviews). Becoming a Co-op member was motivated by a desire to access quality, sustainable products and to support the community-based, ethical business model. Becoming an employee was a way to make my livelihood an action in support of those same things. As a Board Member, I hope to learn more about Co-op operations and to help it continue to be strong financially, remain competitive in the industry, and to be a destination business that improves the lives of employees, customers, providers, and the community at large.

Margaret Gerard

2016–2025
Farm Fund Committee Chair

As one of the longest-standing Board directors, I am committed to contributing to a thriving local food system. What we eat has a huge impact on all life. I strive to facilitate eating that has a positive impact on the consumer, the grower, and the earth. I have worked toward this goal by being an organic farmer for 13 years, a member of the Whatcom County Food System Committee, and a farmers market board member. As a Board director, I work to preserve and strengthen the Co-op’s focus on food and farming issues.

The local food system development goal interests me most. As a health promoter of people and the planet, I see that the two are inextricably connected. Food grown in a manner that feeds the soil, and that is grown close to home, is what makes our bodies and our environment thrive. A vibrant local food system is a necessary component of that picture. I enjoy applying my knowledge of the local food system to contribute to the Co‐op’s goal of strengthening this system.

Randy Rydel

2018–2027
Finance Committee Chair

As a longtime Community Food Co-op member, I am thrilled by the current strategic plan and excited to serve on the Board of Directors working to implement the organization’s long term goals. I am a Certified Public Accountant and thrive on numbers, so I enjoy the challenge of balancing the Co-op’s goals of providing healthy food access to all while still maintaining its economic resiliency.

On a workday, you will find me sitting in front of a computer, managing the finances of the Whatcom County Public Works department. When I am not computer-bound, I may be found with my family riding the trails up at Galbraith, enjoying the cool waters of Lake Whatcom, or exploring our National Parks, most likely with an organic apple in hand.

Heidi Beierle

2022-2026
Board Development Committee

Long-range and strategic planning are part of my toolbox as a community planner. I gravitate to projects, programs, and initiatives that focus on equity and support holistic community health. In the recent past, my efforts were trained on people who do not or cannot drive and visitor use management on federally-managed land. Currently, I’m advancing efforts to improve women’s understanding of and fluency with financial matters.

I moved to Bellingham full time four months before the pandemic began, but I began volunteering with the Whatcom Land Trust when I was still a part-time resident. I participate in invasive removal work and helped establish the Land Trust’s Stewardship Reserve Fund. A writer and artist, I’m excited that my debut book, Heidi Across America – One Woman’s Journey on a Bicycle through the Heartland, will be out in 2024. I am curious, creative, collaborative, empathetic, unafraid of thorny problems, and eager to contribute my time and energy to support people living as their whole selves in mindful relationship with the planet.

Diane Krapf

2022-2027
Board Vice Chair, Board Development Committee Chair

I am passionate about health and wellness. I worked in the natural and organics industry for over thirty-eight years in the roles of Nutritionist, Home Economist, Category Manager, and Director of Sales, Marketing, and Procurement before retiring five years ago. My career in the food industry has helped me develop strategic thinking, organizational, and communication skills and given me experience working with nonprofit, privately and publicly held companies. Now, I would like to increase my involvement in the community that is my home.

I have done volunteer work with the Seattle Public Schools PIPE program, including individual tutoring. I have also volunteered with the American Heart Association, the Bellingham Public Schools Junior Achievement program, and the Sudden Valley Barn Theatre. I am currently in my fifth year as both a volunteer and Board Secretary for Animals as Natural Therapy.

Erin Grant

2024-2027
Member Affairs Committee Chair

I first became passionate about local and organic foods when I took a sustainable agriculture course in college and learned the benefits of organic and regenerative food systems. From there, I fell in love with farmer’s markets and my local Co-op at the time in Davis, CA. I then followed this passion beginning my career as a natural foods broker, expanding my knowledge of organic and natural foods as well as business and leadership within the natural foods industry.

When moving to Bellingham in the summer of 2023, I became a member of the Community Food Co-op with the U-Haul still in our driveway, knowing that the Co-op would be a frequent stop for us. I was then delighted a few months later by the idea of joining the Co-op board, as I was looking for ways to be more involved in this special community and to put my natural foods and business experience to use. In joining the Board, I hope to contribute to the Co-op’s financial success and commitment to making high quality, wholesome, and local foods accessible to the community.

When not shopping at the Co-op or engaging with the natural food world, you can find me riding any form of bicycle with friends and family, spending time around Lake Whatcom and Whatcom Falls Park, and playing saxophone with friends near and far.