Jacqueline Hannah, General Manager of Common Ground Food Cooperative, Urbana, was presented with the 2014 Illinois Cooperative Council’s (ICC) Outstanding Cooperative Manager Award on Monday, Jan. 13. Presenting Hannah (right) with the Illinois Cooperative Council’s Outstanding Manager Award, is ICC Chair Nancy Rhoads McDonald.
Hannah also recently became the Co-op Development Specialist with the national Food Co-op Initiative
www.foodcoopinitiative.coop. The Food Co-op Initiative is helping “pave the way for new food co-op excellence, leading to better fed, healthier communities with local control and connections.”
Fred Iutzi, Program Manager for the Illinois Cooperative Development Center, Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs, who nominated Hannah for the award, says, “Jacqueline has been a transformative general manager at her co-op. Jacqueline also embodies the ‘cooperation among cooperatives’ principle, giving generously of her time and expertise to mentor start-up food co-ops and supporting cooperative development efforts in both Illinois and Indiana.”
McDonald said, “Jacqueline’s enthusiasm for the advancement of Common Ground Food Co-op, and the cooperative business model is contagious and to be commended. She is truly the ‘best of the best’ among cooperative leaders and is so deserving of this award.”
For more than 30 years the Illinois Cooperative Council has promoted a positive climate for cooperatives and helped educate the public about the value and importance of cooperatives in their everyday lives. The council has publicized the wide range of essential goods and services cooperatives offer and the differences between cooperative and corporate business models.
For more information about cooperatives or the Illinois Cooperative Council, contact Nancy McDonald, Illinois Cooperative Council chair at nmcdonald@aiec.coop.
