Board Members
Colleen Valko, President
TERM: First elected in April 2017; Current term expires April 2025.
After growing up in southeast Michigan, Colleen studied Food Industry Management at Michigan State University. Her career has been rooted in the natural and organic food industry where she is currently a business analyst for a purchasing cooperative that supports natural foods stores nationally. In her spare time, Colleen enjoys challenging herself with new recipes and finding ways to enjoy every season in Northern Michigan.
Kaitlyn Burns, Vice President
TERM: First elected to the board in April 2012. Term expires April 2023.
Kaitlyn is a consultant for Cloud for Good, working with non-profits and higher education institutions. She holds an MBA in Design and Innovation Management. In her spare time, she can be found outside adventuring with her family.
Holly Jo Sparks, Secretary
TERM: Has served on the board since April 2014; current term expires April 2024.
Professional community, cooperative and economic developer, Co-Founder & Principal at Collective Seeds Consulting Co-op; also Executive Director for the MSU Student Housing Co-op.
Cy Agley, Treasurer
TERM: Elected to the board in June 2020. Term expires April 2023.
Cy Agley manages eCommerce and Brand Partnerships for TentCraft. Outnumbered by his wife Emily and three girls Grace, Emersyn, and Hazel (as well as two female dogs Elsie and Sadie), Cy appreciates a good tea party but also spending time outside enjoying outdoor adventures.
Kathy Baylis Monteith
TERM: Elected to the board in April 2018; current term expires April 2024.
Founder and owner of Center for Body Awareness providing Physical Therapy, Feldenkrais and Pilates-based rehabilitation. Kathy and husband Scott enjoy cooking, skiing, paddle boarding, and navigating the waters of the great lakes.
Marty Heller
TERM: Elected 2021. Current term expires April 2024.
Marty Heller works as a sustainability consultant for the US food and agribusiness sector with the Dutch firm, Blonk Consultants, and is a senior research specialist with the University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems. He also has experience as a local farmer. When not studying food system sustainability or chasing his 2 young kids, Marty might be gardening, djing and producing music, biking, cross country skiing, or marvelling in the natural beauty of northern Michigan.
Tricia Phelps
TERM: First elected to the board in April 2022; Current term expires April 2025.
Tricia Phelps is the CEO of Taste the Local Difference, a women-owned and operated local food marketing agency for the state of Michigan. She loves swimming in fresh water lakes, reading fiction, and cooking new things in the kitchen.
Parker Jones
TERM: Has served on the board since April 2023; Current term expires April 2026.
Parker Jones is a food business consultant for Michigan State University Extension. He holds an MBA from the University of Wisconsin. In his spare time, Parker enjoys mountain biking, doing puzzles, and practicing yoga.
Chuck Mueller
TERM: First elected to the board in April 2015; Current term expires April 2025.
Chuck has been married 45 years and has two children and five grandchildren. Chuck is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a MSW, class of ’77. His career has been working with families and children at Community Mental Health, Child and Family Services and TBAISD. Chuck enjoys spending time with family, volunteering in the community, and enjoying our natural resources.
Steve Nance, General Manager
Steve likes to call himself an unintentional, intentional grocer. After a career that has run the gamut from single proprietorship to decades spent at two of the world’s largest corporations, he jumped into the co-op world when Oryana needed a leader to navigate a post-recession recovery. Steve was not a stranger to the co-op, however; he had previously served on the Oryana Board of Directors having followed his wife Robin’s board service that took place during challenging times. In its search for a new General Manager, the Board in 2009 decided to take a chance on a non-grocer and asked Steve to take the helm of Oryana January 1, 2010. Like most businesses, Oryana experienced bumps in the road, but the co-op grew from $8 million when Steve started to more than $17 million in sales, but then shrank after Lucky’s Market, Costco, ALDIs and others arrived in 2017. After a challenging and confidential pursuit, Steve negotiated the acquisition of a second store with a winning bid for the local competitor, Lucky’s Market, in a complex bankruptcy, all while a pandemic was raging. Oryana sales doubled to $33 million in 2022 and are forecast at $34 million for 2023. As Steve says, co-op growth keeps more dollars local, supports local farmers and producers, provides fair prices, supports many of our local non-profits, and provides 200 staff good co-op jobs.