Martin Nobs, President, Founding Member
Having lived in Elgin for more than 35 years together with his wife Brigitte, Martin very much believes in Elgin and its great potential. Martin is convinced that Shared Harvest with its grocery store in downtown or close to downtown Elgin will be a very important factor in continuing to make Elgin a vibrant city to live in. Martin is looking forward to applying his management and visionary engineering skills to making the Shared Harvest store a soon to be successful reality.
Gail Cohen, Treasurer, Founding Member
Gail and her family moved to Elgin from the Boston area in 1999 when she was hired as the Purchasing Director for the city of Elgin. Her two sons attended and graduated from U-46 schools. Gail served as the Human Resources Director for the City of Elgin until 2022, and currently serves on the boards of the Northeast Neighborhood Association of Elgin and the YWCA Elgin. Gail is excited about the prospect of a food coop in Elgin and hopes to use her administrative and managerial skills to help it happen.
Jen Abbey, Board Member
Jen moved to Elgin from Minneapolis, MN with her family in 2022. A longtime owner/member of multiple grocery co-ops in Minnesota, she’s passionate about the intersectionality of health, education, sustainability, and ethics that a food co-op community can foster. A project manager by trade, Jen has led numerous ad hoc committees organizing around environmental sustainability issues and served her first three-year term on Shared Harvest Coop’s board from 2022-2025.
Sydney Davis, Board Member
An experienced entrepreneur and community capital strategist with a proven record of mobilizing substantial funding for public and cooperative initiatives, Sydney’s expertise spans federal, local, and philanthropic grant acquisition. Before residing in Illinois, Sydney played an instrumental role in securing funding for transformative community spaces in Michigan including the Black Arts and Cultural Center in Kalamazoo, Bright Walls in Jackson, and Detroit’s neighborhood grocery cooperative—each advancing equitable economic growth and creative placemaking
Frankie Garcia, Board Member
Frankie serves on Elgin’s Sustainability Commission and is the proprietor of Chicago St. Sunflower Co., a sustainable urban farm in Elgin specializing in market garden produce, cut flowers, and natural products. He brings experience and passion for environmental and socioeconomic to our board. His vision for Shared Harvest includes a future where our local economy benefits from the contributions of minority- and women-owned small scale producers, keeping dollars circulating in our community to support our collective future.
Allison Goodman, Board Member
Allison is an Elgin resident and the head farmer/owner of Allison’s Wonderland Farm, a small, heirloom vegetable farm based in Harvard, IL. In addition to expertise in sustainable and organic farming, she also has experience in education, inspiring young people to learn about and pursue career pathways in agriculture. Her passion for local food and food systems runs deep and she is thrilled to help bring just that to the Elgin community.
Jeremy Hayes, Board Member
Jeremy grew up in Elgin and is very active in the community. He brings expertise in videography and marketing. He is interested in helping us bring greater diversity to our membership, and increase shareholders through his connections and skills.
Rebecca LaGesse, Board Member, Founding Member
The daughter of a grocery store manager and granddaughter of a farmer, Rebecca has always been interested in food and where it comes from. After obtaining a B.A. in communications from University of Illinois and film and video training from Columbia College Chicago, she worked in retail and video production in Chicago before moving to Elgin 20 years ago. She has worked in the nonprofit sector since then, helping organizations raise money for education, the environment and health care. As a former yoga instructor and community supported agriculture (CSA) volunteer, she looks forward to combining her passion for sustainable food and good health with her knowledge of retail and fundraising to help Shared Harvest create a community co-op we can all enjoy.
Shanita Pearson, Board Member
Shanita is a strategic professional with a proven track record in driving business growth and enhancing client relationships in fast-paced, innovative environments. Her work has always centered on building connection through communication—and now, is deeply committed to building connection through place. She’s seen the transformative role Shared Harvest can play not only as a source of fresh, local food, but as a catalyst for collaboration, learning, and entrepreneurship. She believes in community as experience — in designing spaces and systems that invite participation, foster belonging, and strengthen our local economy.
Carol Rauschenberger, Board Member, Founding Member
After moving back to her childhood hometown of Elgin, Carol was disappointed in the lack of organic and healthy foods available locally. Purchasing high quality, nutritious food for her family required driving to other communities. In 2012, she developed a food shopping survey with the Downtown Neighborhood Association which received over 250 responses. It was clear that many other families also went outside of Elgin to find the same good, whole food. Months later a meeting of community members was held with over 135 people attending. A steering committee was formed and by December 2012, Shared Harvest was incorporated under Illinois cooperative law and began selling common shares. Carol looks forward to the many benefits our co-op will bring to the community.
Virginia Tilton, Board Member
Virginia is committed to community outreach and development and deeply believes in eliminating hunger. She brings experience from the last ten years as a board member, coach, and volunteer in the local Midwest Roller Derby community. Her professional background is in project management and manufacturing production, uniting diverse teams to achieve common goals. Virginia’s passion for sustainability and food justice drives her to ensure that Shared Harvest will continue to grow and make a significant positive impact on the local food supply chain and enhance Elgin’s well-being.
Jennifer Whalen, Board Member
A lifelong resident of Elgin, Jennifer has deep roots in our community, both personally and professionally. As a small business owner for over 25 years, and a mother of two daughters, she understands the importance of creating opportunities for healthy, sustainable living in the place we call home. In addition to championing local small businesses, she has served on multiple local election campaigns and for the Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s educational outreach and community concerts. Jennifer brings business acumen, community engagement, and personal commitment to the co-op’s values to our board.
Interested in joining our board?
Contact us to get involved today!
