Meet the Board.
We call it Top Circle
Linda Youngblood Jones (she/her)
Linda Youngblood Jones brings a wealth of cooperative experience and community leadership to the Grand Rapids Food Co-op board. With a BM in Music Education and an MM in Choral Conducting, Linda’s background in music has honed her skills in bringing people together to create something greater than themselves.
Now retired from paid work, Linda dedicates her time to various volunteer roles, including her leadership in the GR Food Co-op, directing the Grand Rapids Threshold Choir, and convening the Grand Rapids Meher Baba Circle.
Linda’s cooperative journey began as an undergraduate living in a student housing co-op. Her extensive experience includes starting a credit union for cooperators in Austin and membership in food co-ops across multiple cities. She has attended numerous food co-op conferences, received training in Sociocracy, and is married to a Co-op Hall of Fame member.
A Grand Rapids resident since 2014, Linda began the development of the Grand Rapids co-op in 2016 and has been part of its leadership since before incorporation. Her passion lies in demonstrating how a cooperative economy can support the community more effectively than extractive capitalism.
As one of the co-op’s founding members, Linda looks forward to mentoring the next generation of leaders while continuing to serve as a catalyst for positive change in Grand Rapids.
Kyle Simpson (he/him)
Kyle Simpson brings a unique blend of scientific expertise and sustainability experience to the Grand Rapids Food Co-op board. With a B.S. in Physics with an Electrical Engineering specialty and a minor in Mathematics from Western Michigan University, Kyle is also an American Society for Quality Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
Currently working in Operational Excellence at Steelcase, Kyle’s background includes project management, quality engineering, and research in sustainability. His innovative spirit shines through his involvement in “Local Loop,” a circular economy food system project that won the Wege Prize in 2015.
A Grand Rapids resident since 2017, Kyle joined the co-op in 2022 and became part of the Top Circle in November 2023. His passion for the co-op is comprehensive, embracing the many shared values of the membership, from healthy food access to sustainability and community building.
Kyle’s diverse background in science, sustainability, and operational excellence brings a valuable perspective to the co-op’s mission and future growth strategies. Originally from the east side of Michigan, Kyle fell in love with the west side during his time at WMU and now calls Grand Rapids home.
Jason Herlands (he/they/ze)
Dr. Jason Herlands brings academic expertise to the Grand Rapids Food Co-op board. With a PhD in Japanese literature from the University of Michigan, Jason currently serves as a professor of Japanese culture at Grand Valley State University. An Eastown resident for 11 years, he has deep roots in the local community.
Jason joined the co-op in 2016 and became part of the Top Circle in 2017. His passion for the co-op centers on keeping food dollars circulating in the local economy and supporting the cooperative business model’s mission to meet community needs rather than pursue maximum profit for growth’s sake.
Particularly enthusiastic about minimizing packaging waste, Jason can often be found exploring the co-op’s bulk section. His background in cooperative environments extends to his youth, having grown up attending a cooperative school.
Through years of volunteering, Jason has gained valuable insights into community organizing, business planning, nonprofit law and finance, grocery economics, and Grand Rapids real estate dynamics. This extensive involvement has connected him with both local and national co-op networks, enriching his contribution to the board.
Bryan Heijstek (he/él)
Bryan Heystek brings a diverse background to the Grand Rapids Food Co-op board. With a B.S. in Biomedical Science and experience as a woodworker, Bryan’s journey includes time as a Founding Fellow of Thoreau College in Wisconsin, where he explored sustainable living and food production. His culinary experience as a line cook adds practical insight to his role.
A long-time resident of Grand Rapids’ South Hill neighborhood, Bryan joined the co-op in 2020, following his family’s membership since 2018. He is passionate about community development and promoting the cooperative business model. Bryan envisions the co-op as a catalyst for a broader Cooperative Development Network in Grand Rapids.
Bilingual in Spanish and English, Bryan hopes to help bridge connections between the co-op and the local Hispanic/Latinx community, fostering inclusivity and diversity in the co-op’s mission.
Emily Cooney (she/her)
Emily Cooney brings extensive food industry experience to the Grand Rapids Food Co-op board. Her career path has taken her from early work in grocery stores to the role of Food and Beverage operations manager, giving her valuable insights into food retail and service operations.
A Grand Rapids resident for 20 years, Emily’s understanding of food cooperatives was shaped by her early years in Traverse City, where she experienced firsthand the benefits of a thriving local co-op. She joined the Grand Rapids Food Co-op in 2023 and quickly stepped into a leadership role on the Top Circle.
Emily is passionate about making local, healthy food accessible to all community members. She believes strongly in the power of local investment, seeing the co-op as a vital way to strengthen both the local economy and the community. Her experience in customer service adds to her understanding of meeting community needs effectively.
Robert Cloy
Robert Cloy
Brigette Porter
Brigette Porter
Victoria Keenan (she/her)
Community Building
Victoria Keenan brings extensive experience in public administration and community development to the Grand Rapids Food Co-op board. With an MPA and a BS in Public and Nonprofit Administration and Environmental Land Use and Planning, she currently serves as the Partnerships and Development Coordinator for the City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department.
Over the past four years, Victoria has dedicated her career to serving the Grand Rapids community, focusing on improving health, housing, education, employment, and access to urban outdoor spaces. Her professional expertise includes project management, data tracking, fund research, communication, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
A Grand Rapids resident for over four years, Victoria joined the co-op in 2024 and became part of the Top Circle in 2025. She is passionate about sustainability, local economic opportunity, and community building. Victoria believes the co-op can serve as a vital hub for connecting community members through the food system, working towards a healthier, more sustainable, and equitable future for Grand Rapids.
Cole Sweda (he/him)
Outreach
Cole Sweda has experience with focus groups and surveys and will be using that experience to conduct a survey for our owners. He is the Executive Director for the DataWise Foundation, and has a BSW from Calvin University. We look forward to Cole’s leadership as we move into our next developmental phase of finding our site and raising the funds to build out our store.