About me: I moved to C-U in the fall of 1996 from the suburbs of Chicago, where I had lived my whole life. I fell in love with the friendliness and accessibility of the C-U community and have never looked back. Having lived here over ten years now, C-U is definately "home" to me. I have worked in retail and service management for over fifteen years now and I am proud to say that, after my first job working for a corporate bookstore chain, I have worked exclusively for independently owned shops.

About me: I grew up in Urbana, but only found my way to the Co-op upon my return for graduate school back in August of 2005. I am making up for lost time, diving in headfirst as the outreach coordinator!

The only vegetables I liked as a child were carrots, potatoes, and corn. In early adolescence, I tasted my first fresh asparagus, and I've never looked back. The same degree of revelation came ten years later, when I tried my first local, organic asparagus; I felt as though I'd been let in on the best secret ever. My favorite parts of my job are getting to know new fruits and vegetables and the farmers who grow them, and sharing my enthusiasm with whomever will listen.

About me: I feel like I have lived several lives in my life. I've been a lighting designer/stagehand in New York, a bookseller in Berkeley, Ca. Long time ago, in Portland, Maine, I worked with a puppet theater and as a crab meat picker. I am interested in too many things, including photography, books (reading and experimenting with making them), and cooking (and, of course, eating). I moved to C-U in August 2005 with my partner, Margaret, who is a grad student in Art History at UIUC.