Board of Directors

Leah Ciappenelli

President

Leah Ciappenelli is a 12-year resident of Sudbury and lifelong resident of the metro-west area. She has been a member of the co-op since 2017 and actively involved since last year as a member of the hiring committee. Leah is currently head of HR for an Advertising agency that specializes in B2C direct response advertisement for home improvement companies. Over the span her 20+ year HR career, she has worked for companies in various industries, from behavioral technology to public relations. As a Board Director, Leah is excited to help bring the Co-op’s vision to life. She cannot wait for the grand opening and to be a part of a movement that enhances our community on a myriad of levels.

Evan Merck

Vice-President

I moved to Maynard in 2020 and am currently the operations manager of Hi-Rise Bread Co. in Cambridge. Previously, I worked in Vermont as a farmhand on a small, regenerative grazing cattle farm and as a farmer/cook at a semester program after time in higher education administration in Boston. I enjoy gardening, playing cards, and dreaming of traveling to vineyards in France. My favorite place to work and live is at the intersection of food systems and the communities that give them life. I’m thrilled about the opportunity to work with the Co-op at such an exciting time!

Debby Andell

Treasurer

Mark Lo

Secretary

Amanda Patel

Director

I live in Maynard and work at Suffolk University as a management professor. I teach organizational behavior and human resource management and do cool (totally unbiased opinion) research on employee health and well-being. My research includes how our workplace eating behaviors affect our coworkers’ perceptions of us! At home, I craft, refinish furniture, and bake with my family. I support the co-op because its mission for a positive impact on well-being at so many levels is an important endeavor. I hope that by running for the board I demonstrate to my children the importance of service to one’s community.

Siobain Mitchell

Director

Siobain has been with the initiative since its beginning. She believes the Co-op will be an integral part of a thriving local economy and will make the area more resilient. Siobain has a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and worked for 10 years in mortgage banking before taking time off to raise her family. Since then she has gone back to school and is now working towards CFP® certification.

Nancy Kerr

Director

We came to West Concord in 1987 when our daughter started kindergarten. I am now retired from working as a Nutritionist (WIC Program) and later at an Employee Assistance Program. My time is free to concentrate on our exciting new co-op!

Besides anticipating the opening of ACM, I have been helping settle newcomers, using my intermediate Spanish to help ease the process. My first ‘adult’ job was as Manager of the Yellow Sun Coop in Amherst. It was my home and my social life. I know what co-ops can do for a community. Good things will happen here! Huge thanks for those who have brought us this far; I’m ready to pitch in.

David Gerratt

Director

An Acton resident for nearly 30 years, David served on the board of a storefront co-op in western Mass. and worked as a communications consultant and graphic designer with national, regional, and local co-op organizations. He has been working with the Acton-Boxborough Farmers Market since its inception in 2009. David owns and operates two home-based businesses. DG Communications works primarily with organizations that promote environmental health and social and economic equality — the Union of Concerned Scientists, Farm Aid, and Oxfam America are among his long-term clients. And Fugitive Productions brings musicians, storytellers, and comedians to local venues.

Laura Mattei

Director

I want to help the Co-op realize our dream of building our store and strengthening our local economy and community. In these extremely stressful times, it feels even more important to strengthen our local connections and communities. I have been a member of the Co-op since the very early stages (Member #20) and I have a long track record of volunteering to support our coop. I volunteered in the first year making phone calls to recruit members, then volunteered over the years at tabling events. In the last three months, I have been active with our Capital Campaign contacting other Owners about the opportunity to invest in our store. I am passionate about healthy food, healthy land management and taking care of our environment and the planet. I have over 25 years of experience working as a program manager with non-profits in the field of land and water conservation. I enjoy cooking, hiking, biking, lake swimming, snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing.

Donna Brown

Director

I am a life-long resident of the area and a wife, mother, and now grandmother. My greatest strengths are my strong community ties and wealth of experience. I earned my MBA while raising two children and working full-time, and I now work in the business office of a private school and serve as assistant director of their summer program. I’ve been a co-op member since 2017 and served on the Capital Campaign Committee, helping to raise more than $2M for our store. I’ve also served as a board member of a housing co-op and I currently serve on the Board of Sunshine Nursery School.

Tom Lena

Director

Along with his wife, Tom is a former member of the Harvest Co-op, a trained yoga teacher, composer and player of meditation music, and group leader based within the Cambridge wellness community. After completing his graduate business studies at Harvard Extension School, he developed a small local business, now serving the natural product industry for 30 years. Tom is also the current Treasurer of the Gift & Decorative Accessories Center Association, a local industry nonprofit, based in Hudson. Passionate about co-op values, Tom is Member #1338 and is thrilled to be cultivating a thriving culture that empowers community.