Eric Boehm

1.Why would you like to serve on the Board of Directors of the Onion River Cooperative?

City Market is a center piece of our community.  For me, the Burlington community is a place that I have long loved—it is where I grew up and where my wife and I decided we would return to raise our family, right here in the South End. In so many ways City Market embodies, enriches, and builds towards this community.  It is a place where I trust in the food for my family, a place that didn’t turn me away at the register when I forgot my wallet and had a crying baby, and a place that shares my belief in supporting local producers, businesses, arts, and community. It is a movement and a concept that I will work hard to support and grow. 

I work at Seventh Generation here in Burlington, where as a company we strive to lessen environmental impact by building a consumer revolution of sustainable products and supporting individuals to make healthy choices -- goals that I know City Market shares.  Previously, I spent the past 10 years in the nonprofit sector, primarily at The Aspen Institute, where I focused on financial management, philanthropy, and building nonprofit leadership capacity. 

2.The work of the Board is not operational – that is, it does not deal with the daily operations of the store. Instead, the Board deals with the overall policies that identify and guide the mission of the Cooperative.

How will you stay focused on the larger vision, without being distracted by the day-to-day operations of the store?

I am, in general, a big picture thinker. Whether seeing hidden potential in renovating my first home or managing a budgeting cycle at work, I am most comfortable making a collaborative choice with the most current insights available, and adapting as needed along the way. I have prior experience serving on a board and have witnessed the delicate balance between an organization’s board and executive staff in how to implement policies, create oversight, and develop a vision. I’ve learned there is no hard rule or template on how to manage a board/executive relationship but that when honest, respectful discourse is preserved, the two teams are an essential force in driving a great organization.

I was fortunate to attend the last two City Market Board of Directors meetings and was impressed with the professionalism and commitment that all in the room shared in support of the Co-op’s mission. This board has been thinking big, with expansion to serve our community in both the South End and the Old North End, and I share that commitment to expand City Market’s reach while prioritizing neighbor input at every turn. 

3.What strengths and skills would you bring to the work of the Cooperative’s Board?

I would bring to the Co-op patience, a shared approach, and my overall work/volunteer history.  I am a patient collaborator, a trait nurtured by this community and my family, honed by great mentors across my career, and practiced as a new parent.  In my career I have had a variety of experiences including restoring faith in financial management at a wide range of nonprofits, creating curricula for nonprofit leadership seminars, serving on the Board of Directors of a public charter school, managing grants from the largest public and private donors, and creating efficiencies in financial planning across leading social enterprises and nonprofits. 

My career has been glued together by financial work but I have always sought out balanced roles at organizations with a commitment to social justice and environmental protection and where I could have an impact beyond the walls of finance.  I would love to bring this breadth of knowledge and excitement for learning to City Market.