Adam Muschler
Board Candidate
Adam Muschler
I’m a long-time believer in local food networks and environmental organizing. I’ve got background as a nonprofit professional split between volunteer work as a sustainable ag organizer and an affordable housing advocate in a number of roles. I bring a clear-eyed and practical leadership style grounded in social services ethics.
I currently am a manager at Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Centers housing department where I oversee 15 staff and ~70 clients across a half dozen locations. All working within the larger housing department and organization. I think serving on a board would be a great experience and career decision for me.
Niki Ciulla
Board Candidate
Niki Ciulla
I believe Bluff Country Co-op is a critical community hub in Winona, and it has been an important place for my family. During the pandemic, we *lived* on the take home family meals when my kiddo had to be out of school and both my partner and I were still working full-time. I now have two children, and both have gone to daycare just down the street from you all. We frequently take walking trips after school to pick up supplies for dinner or have a quick snack. The kids love to sit in the eating area and play with the little kitchen and other toys there. Most importantly, I put a lot of trust in the work you all do to source healthy and locally/equitably farmed food. I believe deeply in the work you are doing for this community and simply want to be a part of that.
I have served on a number of non-profit and government committees over the years and have extensive non-profit volunteer experience as well. I’m currently an assistant professor at Winona State specializing in Writing Studies and Environmental/Climate Communication. I teach writing classes for the English department and teach/serve within the Sustainability program as well. I also run an extracurricular program on campus called Climate Wayfinding for people who are looking to find a role within the climate movement. My committee experience includes serving for multiple years on two different city environment/sustainability commissions, along with dozens of committees across the six different universities I’ve worked at.
I believe my work in climate/environmental communication will have relevance to the communication and outreach you all do at the co-op to inform owners and customers about the supply chain of your offerings. Community engagement has also long been an important element of my research and teaching — I want my students to find connection and build community in the places they occupy, which we do through assignments and activities that ask them to engage civically or through community partnerships.
I’ve written essays on collaboration and teach collaboration skills to my students on a regular basis. I do collaborative research writing. Many people think of writing as a solitary act done alone in a quiet room, but writing is a social act. Communication is built on collaboration. I value others’ ideas as much as my own and believe that our work is better when we do it together.
Here’s a few online resources to learn a bit more about me:
Linkedin page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-ciulla-0b01376a/
Winona State faculty profile: https://www.winona.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts/english-department/faculty-staff/nicole-ciulla/
Winonan Article on the Climate Wayfinding Fellowship I run: https://winonan.org/14889/featured-stories/climate-wayfinding-fellowship-to-advocate-for-our-planet/
Krishna Roka
Board Candidate
Krishna Roka
I would like to learn about the co-op’s sustainability practices and work with other members to improve its sustainability and community engagement activities. I am a team member and work well with other members. I value ‘we’ over ‘me’.
I am a Sociology faculty at Winona State University and have been in the Faculty Association executive member for the last five years. I also serve in number of committees on campus.
I am a proud union member (Inter Faculty Organization) and serve as a board representative for WSU Faculty Association at the state level. I have research and work experience of working in community organizations in Nepal.