Meet The Board
There are nine seats on our Co-op’s Board of Directors, with each director serving a three-year term, with the exception of a tenth one-year term that is filled by a member of staff and elected only by staff. There is no limit on the number of terms a director may serve, but they must run and be re-elected at the end of each term. Learn more about the experience of each of our current directors below.
Have a thought you’d like to share with the board? Email boardofdirectors@eastendfood.coop
President Tom Pandaleon, '28
Tom has been a co-op enthusiast since 1979, when he joined a food-buying club in Ithaca, NY. After moving to Pittsburgh to attend law school in 1989, his family joined the EEFC, and, alongside many other volunteers, he helped start the Co-op’s credit union, which was federally chartered in 1993. He currently sits as its president. He was elected to the Board in 2019 after serving for one year in 2016. Tom sees our Co-op corporation and its community of member-owners as offering a democratic alternative to the economic powerlessness most people experience. He sees our work in stewardship of this Co-op, keeping it member-driven and activist as a responsible regional economic force, as vital to a better future for all.
Vice-President Nicholas Leise, '27
With a degree in mechanical engineering, I spend my business hours as a Project Manager for Industrial Construction and Operations. I have experience with facility expansions, new constructions, multimillion dollar budgets and work cross-functionally with teams such as Finance, Real Estate, Design Engineering, and construction vendors. Additionally, I am the owner of a local, small Landscaping Company in the City of Pittsburgh. In my spare time, I am passionate about how good food can grow people and communities.
Secretary Michael Vogel, '26
I have been an EEFC member and weekly shopper since my family relocated to Pittsburgh in January of 2019. My much-younger self fell in love with the community that co-ops can bring together while a member of Kokua Market in Honolulu, and I am eager to contribute to the Pittsburgh community as an EEFC Board member. I am a former high school math teacher and lifelong educator. During my free time, I’m hopefully reading a book or camping.
Treasurer Frank Noll, '28
When Frank became a member around 2004, he was a baker at the local Co-op brand Wood Street Bread Co. He brings experience in real estate development, and bookkeeping to his seat on the board. Currently Frank volunteers much of his time as a Tech Lead at Co-op neighbor Protohaven Makerspace. He is also an avid gardener, and in 2023 won a Phipps sustainable garden award for his edible garden, which is abundant in fruit trees. If you see him around he would love to talk plants with you.
Heather Kenner, '27
Heather brings substantial experience with food co-ops and small “a” agriculture to the position, and currently works in food sustainability with an international non-profit.
Desmond Zheng, '27
As a sustainability consultant and young professional, I hope to bring to the EEFC Board my experience helping organizations transition to become a more sustainable operation while maintaining growth, and provide my input and perspective on intersectionality, inter-generational collaboration, and sustainability. My mom transferred her love of co-ops to me, and we’ve been shopping at our local co-op since 2003. On our cross-country road trip last year, we stopped at co-ops in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and Bozeman.
Outside of co-ops, I am currently a Teaching Artist for the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse.
Mark Bowers, '26
I’ve been a board member/volunteer with local community development corporation, Downtown West Newton, Inc. since 2004, and a past board member and active volunteer with Westmoreland Land Trust since 2008. Served on steering committee that founded this county-wide land conservation organization. I was a stewardship committee member for three years for the Allegheny Land Trust and I’m currently a volunteer.
I’m an active member of the Botanical Society of Western Pennsylvania since 1981. Served as treasurer since 2012. And I’m a past board member of the MonValley Initiative and currently on Regional Development Committee. MVI provides housing counseling, real estate/ community/workforce development and financial coaching to the people of the Mon Valley.
Jeremy Kahn, '26
I came to Pittsburgh in 2010 and immediately fell in love with the East End Food Co-op, which sits at the intersection of my three passions: food, health, and community. As a practicing physician and public health researcher, I understand how our food, and our food supply, directly impacts our well-being. I hope to bring this perspective to the Board as we work to ensure that the Co-op remains a thriving and sustainable resource for all. In addition to my service to the Co-op, I'm an active volunteer at Rodef Shalom Congregation, where I serve on the board and teach cooking to Sunday school students. In my spare time I enjoy reading, mountain biking, and taking walks with my family in Frick Park.
