2026 Board Election

Owners can vote for up to two candidates, with only one vote per candidate.

• Christine Barta
• Anna Hernoud
• Lynne Ireland
• Jose Rodriguez

Christine Barta

Relevant experience:

I have worked extensively with my local food system in every community I have lived in. During college (UNL), I studied horticulture with a focus in specialty crop production and worked several different jobs. During the school year, I was a teaching assistant, a research assistant with the UNL Viticulture and Enology program, and an after-school club leader at Belmont CLC. I also spent my time at Belmont volunteering with their Food Market through the Food Bank of Lincoln. My summers and winter breaks were spent caring for apple trees and customers at Armstrong Orchard in Campbellsport, WI.

After graduating from UNL, I moved to Texas and worked as a brewer/distiller at Balcones Distilling in Waco. Following that position I served as the Market Garden and Retail Manager for World Hunger Relief, Inc, a non-profit, educational farm, where I planned and managed a 2-acre market garden, farmer’s market stand, CSA program, and produce prescription program with Waco Family Medicine.

When I left Texas, I moved back to Wisconsin and completed a seasonal stint at the Cider Farm, a heritage apple orchard that produces hard cider. Then I worked as a buyer/supervisor in both the Deli and Grocery department at Willy Street Co-op in Madison, WI for almost three years. During this time, I completed my Master of Arts in Gastronomy, where my focus was (and remains in) cultural and regional foodways. Currently I serve as a lecturer/recruiter for the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture on UNL, where I hope to stay for a good, long while.

What skills do you bring to a board of a $5+ million business? 

Having lived in many different places, I have had the opportunity and pleasure of working with a very diverse array of people. It is very important to me to learn as much as I can about the people I am surrounded with; I work hard to learn and understand as much as I can about different religious and spiritual beliefs, physical and mental health, and cultures. I also have in-depth knowledge of local and global food systems, as well as the infrastructure and systems in place that limit justice and allow for oppression of underserved individuals and communities.

My top five Clifton Strengths are Learner, Empathy, Analytical, Woo, and Communication. I feel these strengths align well with the qualities and skills desired for the next set of directors. I think my contribution to the board will be level-headed, empathetic understanding of my fellow board members, as well as our local community members. I also feel that my experience with food production and the cooperative model can only be beneficial.

What do you feel are the primary opportunities and challenges facing Open Harvest, and how could you help to meet them?

I think the primary challenge facing Open Harvest is public perception. Folks who shop at Open Harvest already understand that the quality and diversity of products are worth the price. Because of the cost of living in Nebraska, the prices are also quite fair and accessible at Open Harvest. However, pre-exisiting opinions on specialty grocery stores, like cooperatives, can make them feel inaccessible to people who are not familiar with the products or cooperative structure. Long story short, co-ops can seem like “rich people stores”.

The opportunity that this opens up is for education. Open Harvest already has several community events and the occasional tastings, but providing classes, reading materials, and other educational opportunities would solidify the Co-op’s place in the community and enable underserved community members to shop there.

My education and career experience enables me to be able to meet this challenge and opportunity by providing classes and educational materials for community members to learn more about the produce and consumer packaged goods available at Open Harvest.

What is your motivation for running for the board?

My main motivation for running for Open Harvest’s Board of Directors is that I genuinely love the cooperative model. I love the community, commensality, and diversity of foods provided by Open Harvest, as well as the work done for non-profit outreach and support.

I’ve been looking for new and different ways to participate in my community that give back to the people I share it with, and this feels like the perfect opportunity for that. Regardless of my participation in the Board, I look forward to supporting Open Harvest for as long as I’m a member of the Nebraska community.

Anna Hernoud

Why are you interested in serving on the Open Harvest Board of Directors?

I have been on the board for 2 terms (going on 6 years) and have served as the Board Chair for the last 2 years. Serving on the board has given me the opportunity to learn about cooperative principles, governance, and the challenges and opportunities of running a community-owned business.
My work experience is in banking and finance. I have great concern for our community and have volunteered with many organizations from serving meals at the Gathering Place to facilitating financial education with Junior Achievement.

What skills do you bring to a board of a $5+ million business? Be sure to note any relevant business experience you posess and positions of leadership in finance, community involvement, cooperatives, education, or boards.

After serving two terms on the board, I have developed a strong understanding of Policy Governance and how our board functions. I lead with an inclusive mindset and have a clear understanding of our financials. Continuing to serve is important to me because I want to help newer and future board members build the knowledge they need to support the work we do today and carry it forward into the future.

What do you feel are the primary opportunities and challenges facing Open Harvest, and how could you help to meet them?

I feel some of the primary challenges for Open Harvest are affordability, member growth and store awareness. As a Board member, I am an advocate. when I am in the community and interacting with others. I speak to what makes us different and what I love about the co-op. Making sure to highlight what a co-op is, our passion for local vendors and access to healthy food for all. I enjoy participating in community outreach opportunities and engaging with others to spread our mission.

What is your motivation for running for the board?

I remain engaged because I continue to believe in the mission of the co-op and the positive impact it has on our community. What keeps me coming back is the chance to work alongside passionate people who care deeply about food access, local agriculture, and community well-being. Together, we help ensure that Open Harvest remains financially strong, welcoming, and relevant for current and future generations. I am especially proud of our ongoing work through the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) Committee as we continue striving to make the co-op a place where everyone feels they belong.

Lynne Ireland

Why are you interested in serving on the Open Harvest Board of Directors?

In 40+ years work in state government and museums I developed skills and experience in budgeting, financial forecasting, fundraising, grant writing and administration ($6-10M annually), human resources, procurement, and project management. I was an active participant in capital construction and improvement projects for new facilities and renovations to historic buildings to better serve new audience needs. On the Lincoln YWCA board I reviewed the redevelopment of 15th & O Street properties for retail and affordable housing units. I served as board chair for the national American Association for State and Local History and was appointed by President Obama to the National Museum and Library Services Board that oversees the Institute of Museum and Library Services that offers funds to all US states and territories. Museums are educational institutions, so my professional life sought to spark curiosity and learning. As faculty of the UNL Museum Studies program I helped train a new generation of museum workers and co-authored a book on museum administration. I served on the Nebraska Museums Association board for four decades.

What skills do you bring to a board of a $5+ million business? Be sure to note any relevant business experience you posess and positions of leadership in finance, community involvement, cooperatives, education, or boards.

As an omnivore, I admire Open Harvest’s commitment to providing healthy choices for an increasingly diverse community. Continuing to find ways to support local growers while serving these widely divergent needs and making financial ends meet requires flexibility, expansive thinking, and willingness to compromise. My current OH board service has strengthened my skills in consensus building and in the policy governance approach that is critical to ensuring the organization is run co-operatively, with board and staff supporting each other’s distinct roles.

Years working in a public agency serving people statewide attuned me to the critical role of seeing and hearing people where they are. We can’t move forward meaningfully without a “first, listen” approach in responding to the organization’s challenges and opportunities.

I’ve written about food and foodways articles, historical cookbooks and a regular cooking column in the Lincoln Journal Star for 27 years. I continue to be amazed by the many food-lovers who share their stories and recipes with me. Online groups like “Eating Through the Pandemic and Beyond” offer models to build community that extends globally the on-the-ground experience that is the starting point for all food production.

What do you feel are the primary opportunities and challenges facing Open Harvest, and how could you help to meet them?

Change! It’s the through-line of Open Harvest’s story. From a buying co-op to three different stores, Open Harvest owners, staff, and board have responded to challenges by changing. BIG new changes—a building renovation, move, new operations model and systems—has meant BIG new growth. Expanding service to communities with limited food options, introducing high school student neighbors to healthier options, providing a crossroads for new Americans, tech and professional workers, seniors, people of varying abilities, races, orientations, and perspectives are among the challenging opportunities Open Harvest addresses as it continues to live its “co-operative” identity on a daily basis. For-profit food purveyors are competitors, but Open Harvest can expand its current partnerships with local producers, listen intently to customer needs and preferences, and offer personal engagement that builds loyalty and support. Financial management, cost controls and owner recruitment and engagement will strengthen OH’s solid base and grow in into its next chapter.

What is your motivation for running for the board?

“We own it” is a phrase we often hear but it seems now more than ever, it applies to Open Harvest. All of us, owners, staff, and board “own it,” both literally and figuratively. For our co-op to work, “owning it” suggests not only legal title, but accountability.

Serving on the board in the last three years I’ve been privileged to witness ways staff, board, and owners have “walked the talk,” working together to realize the completion of new store construction and the move, expanding ownership to 3,000 +, celebrating 50 years of service, and findings ways to support community members in need as safety nets have frayed and economic strains loom large. We haven’t been flawless, but we’ve recognized challenges and implemented improvements. And will continue to do so amidst an highly volatile political and economic environment.

My service on the Open Harvest board has enabled me to give back to the organization and people that have literally fed me and my family through many decades of life in Lincoln. It’s a complex organization and business and I have to own that my learning curve was sharper than I anticipated. But that learning makes me better able to partner with other board members, the general manager and staff, and all the owners in responding to the swiftly changing food landscape.

“The co-op” is now poised to create an even greater sense of community as it continues to blend the many stories that its owners and customers have to share.

A lot of hard work lies ahead. I believe my experience in organizational management and board service, my communication skills and my love of food can help grow the place where nourishment feeds souls and bodies both.

It would be my privilege to play a small role in helping Open Harvest address the food issues that will become only more complex in our future.

“That is happiness,” Willa Cather wrote, “to be dissolved into something complete and great.“

Jose Rodriguez

Why are you interested in serving on the Open Harvest Board of Directors?

I am currently employed by the US Postal Service as a supervisor of mail carriers and clerks at the North View Carrier Annex here in Lincoln. I have been in his position for over 8 years(12 total years of service with USPS).    Previously I was in law enforcement for 19 years as both a deputy sheriff with Lancaster County, NE Sheriff’s Office and officer, then sergeant with the Grand Island, NE Police Department.

I have worked on my in-laws family farm, which is between St. Paul and central City Nebraska, on and off during the last 30 years during thier harvest times (very part time). I have previously volunteered for Habitat for Humanity (in Grand Island) and also been involved here in Lincoln currently with Justice in Action through South Gate Methodist Church. While in Grand Island I was a member of a immigrant advocacy group during in the early 2000 involving members of local school administration  and various city department heads.

What skills do you bring to a board of a $5+ million business? Be sure to note any relevant business experience you posess and positions of leadership in finance, community involvement, cooperatives, education, or boards.

Throughout my law enforcement work I experienced various interactions with people from all types of socio-economic backgrounds many many times. Unfortunately i realized how the criminal justice system often worked to create a less than desirable outcome for victims and people accused of less than violent crimes. Usually a person of less means often would not receive a fair experience in the criminal justice system. As a USPS supervisor on the front line, I am constantly tasked with seeking out/identifying inefficient work habits of subordinate carriers and clerks.   When working with my in-laws on their farm, I am always in awe of how hard it is to be a farmer in this country and how little reward they receive back because such factors high input costs and low market value of their corn and soybeans.

What do you feel are the primary opportunities and challenges facing Open Harvest, and how could you help to meet them?

Currently inflation has to be the biggest challenge for any business, large or small like Open Harvest. Farm to table is a term people throw around as being good for the consumer and the folks raising livestock and crops. Because there is such few food processing giants (ADM, Tyson’s) the growers and consumers have little sway in how most of what they eat is processed or grown. Also since the mid 1970s the US government has made it policy to grow food as quantity over quality. More has to be done by small, local businesses that sell groceries like Open Harvest to tap into nearby farms and growers. It may take local small business lobbyist to help pass state laws to encourage or offer incentives for local farmers to work with local businesses to help reduce the cost of transporting good many miles with diesel at record prices.

What is your motivation for running for the board?

During a shopping trip to Open Harvest I was approached by a current board of directors and after our visit I felt I had something to offer if elected. I would certainly would work diligently for the greater good of Open Harvest since I love shopping and being a member there.

Owners can vote for up to five SEED Program nominees.