Kim Giese (Incumbent)
I moved to Morris in 1986 after graduate school to work for the USDA-ARS Soils Lab. I left the Morris area to be an environmental consultant until 1996 when I married Sheldon Giese and moved back to Morris. Our son was born in 2001 & I became a Mom. When Ben started kindergarten I began volunteering weekly at the Co-op. I volunteered weekly for two years until Sheldon & I moved our West Central Screen & Print business downtown with daily business hours. It has limited my volunteering options but I help with the UNFI truck orders when possible & I fill in for Patti in the morning when she needs me. I was voted on to the board in 2008 and would like to continue on the board for a second 3 year term. I am currently the board president and my one year term will be complete after the annual meeting. I have enjoyed my time on the PDT board and look forward to continuing as a member of the PDT board.
James Moore
Current Occupation: Advanced Putzer.
Former Occupations: Assorted. Including but not limited to: various advocacy/organizer positions; Postmaster Accounts Reviewer – USPS; Marshall Food Coop Co-Manager; House Husband.
Attributes: curious; enjoy group process; PDT co-op volunteer (unloading truck/ stocking selves); avid (but not accomplished) gardener; like to cook, freeze and can; lifelong interest in exploring alternatives to the status quo.
Tina Didreckson
Tina Didreckson has been a PDT volunteer since 2003. She usually works Saturdays and loves helping customers learn about healthy eating. Tina understands balance sheets, income statements, accounting, marketing and sales. She was on the original Morris Theatre Cooperative steering committee, wrote the original business plan for the Morris Theatre Cooperative board and managed the Morris Theatre from October 2007 to April 2009. A prior two-term board member of the Prairie Renaissance Cultural Alliance, Tina currently works part-time at the Stevens County Museum and UMM. Her passion for insuring our local food supply is sustainable and affordable would be a great asset for PDT Foods.
Marshall Hoffman
I have lived in Morris a bit more than 4 years now. Good health and nutrition have always been important issues for our family. Don’t let my overweight body fool you. That may be why I married a physician. All of our four children were breastfed for many years, never touched formula or pacifiers, and used cloth diapers. We’ve been members of PDT since shortly after our arrival to town and support everything it’s doing. I am a journalist by training, worked in that field for 13 years in the Twin Cities, and do occasional freelance writing, including a few pieces in our own Sun Tribune. I currently serve on the Community Education Advisory Board, because getting kids—and grownups—opportunities to be active is important to me. This past fall, I ran for my first political office, School Board, where one of my issues was to improve the health and nutritional value of the food served in the schools. I lost the election but learned a lot. I also have a business degree from the University of Minnesota with a focus on marketing. I feel I could contribute to the PDT board by helping to improve its marketing efforts and reaching out to the broader community. I would also provide some gender balance to the PDT board, which I believe means more than just stocking organic nacho chips.
Lamia S Sungur
Qualifications: Accounting/Bookkeeping; Understanding of local community needs; Customer/Human Relations; Newsletter Editor; Designed/Organized various art and cultural activities for senior citizens.
Education: B.S. Economics and Management, School of Business and Economics, Ankara University, Ankara/Turkey.
Employment: LaDeDa Décor and Design; Volunteer, PDT Foods; Activity Coordinator, Certified Nurse Assistant; Food Service Worker; Economist.
By being an economist and member of the local community, I would promote affordable, healthier and local food consumption. I also believe in providing culturally diverse foods that will meet the needs of the changing student and faculty composition of UMM. Also, the Morris community needs to be asked about their needs and expectations from the Co-op. Because of my close contact with UMM, I would take a step to carry out such a local survey gladly.
Audrey Lesmeister
I am a Morris native, graduated from MAHS. I completed the legal secretarial course at Alexandria Technical College in 1982. I spent the next 20 years gaining working experience as a bank loan officer, investment stock broker, health financial advisor and self- employed dairy farmer. I am presently completing my BA in Financial Management. I have also spent the past two years working for Pope County Fresh and Morris Healthy Eating. The focus of both positions has been to actively promote the values of buying and eating local, fresh produce. My duties have included forming network consumer/producer relationships and market the “Buy Fresh Buy Local” concept to the local community. I am also starting a new company in Morris called Freshmeister Foods, whose mission is to provide fresh produce grown without or with minimal chemicals. My vision for our community is to have a local and fresh source of produce all year. It is also extremely important to use alternative energy sources to avoid carbon fuels in the business as a whole. I believe my education and experience would be an asset to the board of directors. I appreciate your consideration for this position.