Board of Directors


Mark Miller President	Mark Miller, Board President, also chairs the Nominations and Process (NAP) Committee and sits on the Finance Committee. As a practicing lawyer, Miller brings strong analytic skills and knowledge of corporate, employment and commercial law. He has been on the Co-op Board since 2005.
Dean Williamson Vice President	Dean Williamson would describe himself primarily as a teacher, having taught at lots of places, including Bozeman High and MSU, and a medium-security prison. He teaches creative writing and American Literature. He also works with schools and nonprofits to enhance their communication and teaching skills, to help folks get more creative and imaginative. Dean loves being outside—backcountry skiing, skate skiing, backpacking, biking, camping, canoeing, kayak, doing all the outdoors things. He also digs travel, to wherever, though he’s quite fond of Spanish-speaking places, beaches, and hammocks. A cold beer is handy, too. Dean’s bike is his primary mode of transportation, his favorite color is purple and he’s a lefty. He fears the Co-op’s chocolate chip cookies could be his death—but what a way to go.
Deb Kmon Davidson Treasurer	Deb Kmon Davidson has been a member and dedicated shopper of the Co-op since she and her husband, Gray, moved to Bozeman in 2000 and she is thrilled to be serving on the Board of Directors. Deb has worked with conservation or environmental education non-profits for the past 15 years in a variety of roles including environmental educator, wildlife advocate, development director and foundation program associate. She recently left her job with the Wilburforce Foundation to be a full- time mom to her young daughter, Lucy. She is passionate about supporting local food producers and looks forward to helping to strengthen the relationship between local farmers and the Co-op. Deb tries to spend as much time as possible outside hiking, skiing, canoeing, gardening or going for walks with her sweet brown dog. She also loves to cook and strives to serve as many locally-based meals as she can.
Kris Thomas Secretary	Kris Thomas is a long time Co-op member. Her first working member jobs were at the old store as a cheese cutter and helping to set up the store’s first computers. Thomas is the chair of the Co-op’s Community Interaction Committee (CIC) and serves on the Nominations and Processes (NAP) Committee. She has many years of grassroots activism and professional experience and a background in environmental health issues, from which she understands the potential threats to the quality of our food. Thomas is a founder and current board chair of Montanans Against Toxic Burning. She is also on the steering committee of the Gallatin Valley Chapter of Farm to School and works on the “Edible Schoolyard” movement in the local schools. She and her husband, Bob Ekey, have two children, Alex and Madison.
Joel Ellefson	Joel Ellefson has been a Co-op member since 1985 and has been on staff since 2005. He works as the grocery purchaser and is the Farm to Market Coordinator. He serves on the Board’s Community Interaction Committee (CIC) and the Planning Committee. He has been employed as a biologist, a natural resource planner and a land surveyor. Ellefson makes handmade knives and enjoys hiking and gardening in his spare time. Ellefson believes in the importance of incorporating local products and culture into our everyday lifestyles. He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Lucy, and dog, Graycie.
Aubree Durfey	Aubree Durfey, raised in Gardiner, Montana, with a green thumb for a father and bison mowing her yard, Aubree learned at an early age to love eating veggies straight from the garden and playing in the outdoors. To help cultivate community food systems, Aubree served as an AmeriCorps VISTA for Gallatin Valley Farm to School. She continues to organize for GVF2S and is a student of sustainable food systems at Montana State University. Aubree was elected to the Co-op Board in 2010.
Cameron Hildreth	Board President Cameron Hildreth enjoys working with an organization that proactively considers its impact on the community and is excited about the Co-op’s growth opportunities. After her first child was born, Hildreth made a strong commitment to organic food, helping ensure her family’s well-being. She also values the local community and spends time volunteering as a La Leche League leader, volunteers at Irving School and is a board member of Friends of the Library. Hildreth is an avid gardener, knitter, reader and cook. She and her husband, Peter, enjoy playing with their three children every possible moment. Hildreth was elected to the Co-op Board in 2001.
Andy Rahn	Andy Rahn grew up in Billings in a family that came to Montana in the 1930s to start a farm implement business, part of which is still in business today. He was raised understanding that agriculture plays a strong role in the Montana economy and the condition of the landscape he loves. Rahn attended college in Northern California, where he had the opportunity to study, teach, promote and work in sustainable farming for nearly 10 years. He returned to Montana to finish his degree in Land Resource Sciences at MSU. Currently, Rahn is a rural land appraiser, working with farmers and ranchers and analyzing rural property economics. He is interested is in promoting strong and viable local agriculture. Rahn believes that local, sustainable food production and consumption leads to healthy land and people and to a more stable and self-reliant economy. He serves on the Community Interaction Committee (CIC) and the Personnel Committee. Rahn is a single father with two kids who love to eat at the Co-op.
Mary Schaad	Having spent years moving up and down the Rocky Mountain corridor, Mary Schaad is delighted to have found a home in Bozeman since 2005, where the stunning natural setting is matched in vibrancy by the phenomenal community that exists here. Mary has worked with Refuge Sustainable Building Center since 2007, drawing on her Environmental Studies background, and before that she occasionally made some professional use of her Creative Writing degree. Mary has been a presenter at the Girls for a Change conference, a volunteer with Red Feather Development group, a volunteer tutor at the Adult Learning Center, and is the volunteer web designer for The Bozeman Straw Bale Project (coming soon). She’s a strong believer in the power of education, nutrition, and strong community ties; hence her love of the Co-op. When she’s not hiking, she’s thinking about hiking while she gardens, cooks, practices yoga and saves for a new bike.
Jim Madden Board Facilitator	Jim Madden helps coordinate the monthly Co-op Board Meeting and assists with planning and facilitating of the Board’s annual three-day retreat. Jim has been a Co-op member for many years and began acting as the facilitator in 2002. He enjoys working with the Board and values the Co-op’s efforts towards fostering strong community ties. Jim is an artist whose principal medium is painting, and his work can be seen in numerous locales around the Gallatin Valley. He lives five blocks from the Co-op, which he considers one of the greatest benefits of living in Bozeman.