David Lee (incumbent) — Non-Profit Executive Director

Why do you want to be on the Outpost Natural Foods Board of Directors?

Four years ago, you gave me the great honor to represent you on the Outpost Board and I am running for reelection because I hope to be able to continue our good work together. I have been lucky to be a part of this board. It's a great group of people and we have very intentionally made big strides forward in increasing our effectiveness, accountability and focus on the key strategic issues facing our co-op. At the same time, we opened two, exciting new locations in Mequon and at the Wellness Commons at 17th and North. I've also had the great honor to serve as the board's immediate past Vice-President and its current President. In these roles, I've helped to lead us toward achieving our goals. I hope you will give me your vote so that I can to continue to be your voice on the board.

What professional skills do you bring to a Board position of a 50 million dollar business?

I am the executive director of Wisconsin's statewide association of food banks. Our network of six regional food banks facilitates over $60 million worth of food investments in the emergency food system and moves nearly 40 million meals a year to over nearly 600,000 Wisconsinites through 1200 local food pantries in every single county of our state.

In this role and in previous jobs in management positions in the non-profit sector, I have worked with program budgets operating on the thinnest margins and analyzed, advocated for, and defended state and federal budget appropriations items.

I have also served on the Board of Directors of Outpost Natural Foods over the last four years, including this last year as the President of the Board. Outpost - with six locations and over 21,000 owners, is one of the largest food cooperatives in the nation by volume of sales.

Describe areas in which you are culturally fluent with a diverse community.

As someone who was born in Taiwan, grew up in San Francisco, attended college in a small town in New York state, worked in community affairs and government relations for the Jewish community in Los Angeles, married into a Wisconsin farm family, and who currently advocates on behalf of Wisconsinites with low-incomes and who need help procuring enough food for their families, I have, for most of my life, lived in and worked in and for diverse communities.

This has helped me develop my practice of inclusion. For me, that's what diversity really means. A truly diverse community doesn't just mean having representatives of many different backgrounds in a community, but rather that the community at-large is effectively including all of the diverse voices, viewpoints, values and cultural perspectives.

This spirit of inclusion is how I have tried to lead the board as its president and if I am lucky enough to be re-elected, this is how I intend to continue working to include the rich diversity that our community represents.

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