Spencer Wright
Why would you like to serve on the City Market Board? What excites you about becoming a Board Member?
I grew up in Burlington, and so the Co-op has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Today, it’s where our family of four does the majority of our grocery shopping. I love raising our daughters with access to healthy, locally sourced food - and also understand firsthand the challenges of doing so affordably. I’m deeply invested in the Co-op’s success, not only as a member-owner but as someone who values its role in supporting local farmers, strengthening community, and making healthy food accessible to all.
Joining the Board would be an opportunity to give back to an institution that has meant so much to me, and I’d be honored to serve.
The Board seeks candidates who are dedicated, cooperative, committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and willing to participate in group discussions ranging from financial oversight to support of management, staff and Members. Please describe the skills and experiences you have that will help you be an effective Board Member in these regards. How would you use your skills and experiences to help the Board understand and use data as part of the decision-making process of our community-owned cooperative?
I’ve spent my career leading and working on cross-functional teams that use data to solve complex problems and grow mission-driven organizations. I’ve collaborated closely with colleagues in finance, operations, marketing, IT/engineering, community engagement, and sales, and I’m comfortable both learning quickly in unfamiliar areas and sharing my perspective when helpful. My background is in experimentation and data, and I excel at making data meaningful — analyzing complex information and presenting it in ways that help teams make confident decisions.
Describe your prior involvement with community organizations and/or cooperatives. What did you learn from these experiences?
I don’t have direct experience with cooperatives, but I’ve been involved with community organizations for most of my life. I started with summer jobs at Camp Abnaki, Very Merry Theatre, and Church Street Marketplace, where I learned how much work goes into creating spaces that bring people together. Since then, my career has focused on building online communities for educators and activists, helping mission-driven organizations grow while staying connected to the people they serve.
The Board collaborates with the General Manager to support inclusion, diversity, equity, access and social justice (IDEAS) at City Market. How would you ensure that the Board's work is grounded in these principles? How would you help point City Market in the right direction when it comes to IDEAS? Please describe any prior involvement in IDEAS work either personally or professionally?
I believe grounding decisions in inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and social justice starts with listening — to staff, members, and the wider Burlington community — and making sure those voices inform everything we do. The same is true for helping point City Market in the right direction when it comes to IDEAS - I want to make sure I understand how these principles are currently integrated into decision making and the history of actions that the Board has taken.
Professionally, I worked hard to create an inclusive, supportive environment, and teams I’ve led have consistently posted high engagement scores and a diverse set of members. I’ve also been involved in ensuring we’re recruiting from underrepresented groups in the organization and participated in a variety of employee resource groups. And finally, I worked with a small team of teachers, data scientists, and compliance coordinators to make sure educational resources we were recommending to teachers came from a diverse set of educators and met a high quality bar.
What opportunities and challenges do you see in the future of City Market?
The main opportunity I see is to reaccelerate membership growth, in order to ensure the continued success and sustainability of a vital community institution. I’ve spent time helping grow membership programs, so I’m familiar with the challenges. But I’m proud to be a member and believe the future of membership can be very bright!
Two potential challenges I see are economic uncertainty leading to more price sensitivity and construction in downtown Burlington leading to fewer visitors, although I believe both can be addressed with creativity.