Maureen O’Donnell is the current Chair of the Co-ordinating Body, our voluntary board of directors elected by and for the members of the Co-op.
A few short months ago Aoife, our General Manager, shared the news that she would be moving on to a new role in April. While it was sad to hear this as Aoife has contributed so much over the course of her 12-year career with us, it’s a wonderful opportunity that she’s been given in Leitrim and I can’t help but be excited for her. We all wish her well and hope that her new venture is a huge success.
I was hoping by the time Aoife left in April that we would have a new General Manager selected. The Hiring Committee with representatives from both the CB and staff have been working over the last several months on the selection process, but so far the right person has not been found and so the search continues. We are looking for someone with a unique set of skills and experience. It’s difficult to find! It is so important that we find the right person to lead the Co-op operations. We’ve made a lot of progress over the last several years under Aoife’s leadership and we need someone who is ideally suited to our culture and who will continue the momentum forward.
These are challenging and stressful times we live in, but our community is continuing to grow and thrive.
Thankfully, for the next several months while the search continues, Sam and Amy (our Secretary and Shop Co-ordinator) have kindly agreed to lend their support in the form of interim leadership.
They will be working together collaboratively to ensure continued operational excellence and delivery on the shop improvement projects we’ve planned for this year. They will ensure that our Community Development Programme is rolled out in an impactful way.
And they’ll also be working with the staff, CB and other volunteers to foster deeper member engagement in our post-pandemic community.
When our new General Manager steps into the role, hopefully quite soon, they will do so in the knowledge that the organisation they are joining is being managed effectively.
This is just one example of the great contributions made over the last year by both staff and volunteers. They have been at the front lines of this pandemic and I am deeply grateful for their tireless efforts. These are challenging and stressful times we live in, but our community is continuing to grow and thrive.
In the coming months I’m looking forward to things returning to some semblance of normal for our Co-op community. In the meantime, thanks very much for your patience and continued support.
Yours in Solidarity,
Maureen O’Donnell.