Current Co-op Directors
Purpose: To provide leadership for the Silverton Food Co-Op guided by our mission and core values. 

Karyssa Dow

President

(Term ending 2023)

Originally from Walla Walla, WA we moved to the Valley in 2012 and to Silverton in 2018. I purchased my ownership at the very first Farmer's Market we attended after moving here. I loved the vision of a small Co-op store and want to be part of that dream coming to life!

Keeping our dollars local is so important to maintaining a vibrant, healthy community. I am very passionate about cultivating thriving local economies and a locally owned grocer is a huge part of that. 

I look forward to what my second year on the Board as the President brings and hope to make you all proud to be owners of Silverton Food Co-op!

Natalie Hoyte Pynch

Vice-President
(Term ending 2024)

I grew up in Washougal, WA, and have lived in various places throughout the Northwest until making Silverton my home in 2019. 
I work at a family practice clinic by day, and enjoy gardening, canning, cooking, and hiking in my free time. I was drawn to work in family medicine for the preventive health focus, because I knew from early on that the foods we eat play a big role in our long term health. I resonate deeply with the famous Hippocrates quote, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," and I hope to always work toward bringing this perspective into my day job. 

As for the rest of my time, I find so much joy in thinking about food, attempting to grow food, learning to preserve food, cooking food, and sharing food with friends; for all of these reasons, I am excited to be a member of the Silverton Food Co-Op, and I am hopeful that we can continue to celebrate food, in so many myriad ways, with this community!​



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Keith Nyitray

Secretary
(Term ending 2024)

I was born in the Bronx NY and subsequently grew up in a suburban town on New York’s Long Island.
After receiving my college degree, I moved to Alaska in 1980 to pursue my passion for all things outdoors
and environmental. Over the years I participated in an eclectic mix of occupations and endeavors... from
mountaineering and adventuring, to log cabin building, environmental lobbying, commercial fishing, and
small-scale farming. In 2010 I helped start the Sitka Food Co-op and subsequently became its Board
Chair for the first five years of its operation. In 2015 I left the Board to become the General Manager to
the co-op and helped it grow to where members were purchasing over $530,000/year in healthy foods
and natural products and to where it had a staff of six part-time employees. In 2019, I also started my own
consulting business for young co-ops. About the same time, I also became on owner of the Silverton
Food Co-op and have always considered Silverton Food Co-op to be a sister co-op of the Sitka Food Co-
op. After hearing about the struggles Silverton Food Co-op was going through, I traveled to Silverton for
the most recent Annual Meeting and once there, volunteered to become one of its Board members. As a
new Board member, I look forward to sharing my knowledge and past experiences to help our co-op
move forward once again.​

Beth Myers-Shenai

Treasurer

(Term ending 2023)

I was born in Portland and spent most of my time growing up in the Willamette Valley in Woodburn where my family had a small hobby farm.  I picked strawberries in the summer and eventually earned enough to buy a pony I named Strawberry. 

After leaving home I spent a little time in Seattle, WA, San Diego, CA, and Ann Arbor, MI before landing back in this beautiful corner of the Valley we call Silverton in 1998 with my family in tow!  
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 I work for the Oregon Department of Agriculture as an invasive plant specialist which gives me the opportunity to explore much of Northwest Oregon and connect with people and communities about protecting our precious ecosystems.​

I love being a Co-op member, and would love to serve on the board to assist in its mission to keep farmers and eaters connected!

Kevin Mowrey

Director

(Term ending 2023)

I’m an easy-going Cascadian through and through. I grew up in Tacoma, Washington, where I camped on the Sound and skied at Snoqualmie Pass. I went to Fife High School, and I got my Operations & Technology BBA and Master’s degrees at the University of Portland. While there, I fell in love with women’s soccer and now I’m an avid Portland Thorns fan.

I’ve been working for a mid-sized, multi-national printed circuit board assembly company for 11+ years. During this time, I’ve dabbled in production supervision, project management, business intelligence, and am now our company’s Enterprise Information Services Manager.

I enjoy volunteering, and from my volunteer experience brushing trails, tutoring math, and judging youth robotics teams, I know that showing up is half the battle. If you’re reading this, just know that there is definitely something you can do to help, whether volunteering with this co-op or through some other volunteer opportunity you can find!

Lauren Brassaw

Director

(Term ending 2024)

I was born and raised in Silverton, Oregon, and enjoyed the community here until my early 20s. I moved away to broaden my horizons, and recently returned with my wife and child to live in Silverton. While away I spent most of my years abroad in Europe, earned my MA in International Relations from Webster University in Vienna, and worked as a consultant for the United Nations for nearly six years.

I have seen a lot of communities around the world and have high hopes for bringing a higher level of nutritional awareness and food quality to my own.
 

Sherry Smith

Director

(Term ending 2024)

My husband and I moved to Silverton in 2020 from the Ann Arbor, Michigan area to be near family and explore the wonders of the Pacific Northwest.  
I have over 15 yrs experience with a vibrant buying club in that area, as well as running multiple buying clubs on my own.  I have also been active with the Weston A. Price Foundation, which promotes education on traditional diets and food preparation and the nutritional science behind those practices.  An important goal of mine is the most nutritious food for the best prices for my family and community–  including the producers!  
I have a BS in Consumer Affairs from Eastern Michigan University. I am also a bibliophile and enjoyed working at the Brighton Public Library in Brighton, MI. for 18 yrs.
Last, but not least, I am the mother of 3 and grandmother of 9.

Outgoing Co-op Directors

At our Annual Meeting on August 29, 2021 we welcomed one new board member and held an appreciation for outgoing directors Cayla Catino, Becky Gilliam, and Brent Stuntzner. 

We thank our outgoing Co-op Directors for their years of volunteer service and leadership!
​We appreciate you, Cayla, Becky, and Brent, for sharing your vision with our ownership and greater community.