Our co-op’s general manager, Justin Pizzella, submitted his resignation, effective October 17th. The Board is grateful for Justin’s six years of service and the progress our co-op has made under his leadership. The board is working with Justin to ensure business continuity during the transition period. As part of the search and selection process, we anticipate engaging members to hear their input regarding the skills and attributes that an ideal candidate would possess in order to best serve our co-op into the future.

The Board of Directors has been working for several months to fill two vacant seats on the board. I am pleased to announce that Malcolm Ferguson and Arianna Garofalo have been appointed to fill these seats.

Malcolm Ferguson is a senior financial professional with 35 years of experience in banking and leasing at companies including Allegheny Valley Bank, PNC Bank, Fifth Third Bank, and Mellon Bank. He earned an MBA from the Katz School of Business and a BS in economics from Allegheny College. The duration of his appointment is until November 2019.

Malcolm is active in his community, serving as a trip leader on an annual mission to West Virginia to repair homes for families in need, working with the non-profit Haiti Friends, and volunteering at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. He began shopping at our co-op in the 1980s.

Arianna Garofalo is a Program Coordinator in the Department of English at Carnegie Mellon University. She brings experience in writing and coordinating activities and communications across diverse constituent groups. Arianna is completing her Masters of Arts in Literary and Cultural Studies at Carnegie Mellon University. She earned a BA in English at Rollins College. The duration of her appointment is until November 2017.

Arianna is passionate about food and the environment and volunteers her time retrieving and delivering donations for 412 Food Rescue. Arianna is a candidate in our general election which will begin on September 1st.

This is an exciting time for our co-op with many opportunities on the horizon. Please join me in welcoming Malcolm and Arianna to our Board of Directors, and stay tuned for additional communications in the weeks ahead.

Eddy Jones
President, Board of Directors
East End Food Co-op