Board of Directors

KDC Board of Directors

KDC continues to be governed by a volunteer board of directors mostly comprised of professionals in rural development, economic-community development, and education. They are a hands-on board and regularly assist in KDC projects.

Bill Walker, President

Bill is an experienced marketing specialist helping farmers identify and develop markets for agricultural and seafood products, organizing unique promotions, and effectively communicating with industry representatives and market target groups. Bill worked with the NJ hospitality industry to promote the usage of all NJ agricultural products and has conceived Departmental economic strategies for the NJ agri-tourism industry to develop and promote agricultural operations as tourism destinations.

Bill served as the General Manager of the Tri-County Cooperative Market Association. He retired in 2020 after 34 years as an Agricultural Marketing Specialist with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.

As a certified teacher of agriculture and former teacher, Bill serves on the board of the NJ Agricultural Education Advisory Council and the New Jersey FFA Foundation. This organization seeks to encourage NJ agricultural education through the involvement and guidance of New Jersey agriculturalists.

Rebecca Savoie,
Vice President

Rebecca Savoie is a founder and consultant with Amber Neem Consulting. She has 20 years of domestic and international experience with innovative projects for public and private sector organizations. Her work has focused on strengthening agribusinesses and other economic infrastructure, and harnessing the power of collective action via cooperative businesses. She has lived and worked in the US, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, based mostly in Africa. A lifelong learner, Rebecca recently finished her PhD researching social capital benefits of membership in vertically integrated dairy cooperatives in Kenya. Rebecca also holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, an MA in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and a BS in Agriculture from the University of Minnesota. She and her daughter live in Columbia, Missouri.

Charlotte Davis, Secretary

Charlotte Davis has over 20 years of professional experience in government, advocacy and political consulting. She has spent over ten years working within the Maryland General Assembly, most recently as Chief of Staff for a Committee Chair. She has experience in non-profit management, managing a small organization dedicated to educating and advocating on behalf of Montgomery County, Maryland. In the fall of 2012, Charlotte was a part of the successful campaign to change Frederick County’s form of government from Commissioner to Charter. Currently, she serves as the Executive Director for the Rural Maryland Council, an independent state agency, which seeks to improve the quality to life while preserving the cultural heritage of Maryland's rural communities. Charlotte holds a BA in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland and a MA in Government from Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Middletown, Maryland with her husband and two sons.

Dami Odetola,
Treasurer

Dami Odetola is Vice President at National Cooperative Bank and responsible for providing banking solutions for food cooperatives, independent grocery retailers and purchasing cooperatives on the East Coast. Since joining the bank in 2008, Dami has served in various positions, including relationship manager for NCB’s business cooperatives, credit analyst in the corporate banking department and asset manager in NCB’s risk management department.

Dami is an avid promoter of cooperatives and has advised state and national governments on the impact and importance of the cooperative business model. He is also an active volunteer, a passionate photographer and serves on the boards of The ICA Group, Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF) and Partners for Development (PfD).

Pat Thornton

Pat Thornton prides herself as an emotionally intelligent leader, who is dedicated to using her time and talents to provide support to entities that seek to make this Country a more egalitarian place for its citizenry. She is strategic thinker with a proven record of success in developing integrated marketing strategies and brand identity solutions in multiple market segments. She is also an economic strategist, with extensive experience in business development, non-profit management, community engagement, and establishing public-private-partnerships between the private sector, local and jurisdictional representatives.

The experience Pat has in non-profit management, along with the production of Everything Co-op, and her life-work to represent marginalized communities clearly illustrates how her background is related to the mission of KDC. The extensive research Pat has done in preparation for Everything Co-op’s weekly radio shows has enabled her to gain a broad understanding of the cooperative business model, resources for cooperative development and leaders in the cooperative movement. More importantly, Pat’s focus on service to the indigent and voiceless populations gives her the motivation and drive to lend her knowledge and expertise to the efforts of an organization that speaks to the ideals that are most important to her, as evidenced by her life work.

Sonia Wasco

Sonia S. Wasco is president and CEO, Grant Heilman Photography, Inc a stock photo library specializing in American agriculture and natural science photography including a significant collection of horticulture, wildlife, lifestyle and travel images. The collection contains over a million high quality images representing the work of more than 100 photographers from around the world.

Sonia has lead the agency to be known as the world’s most complete source of American agriculture imagery. She has nearly 30 years’ experience in the stock photo business and is past president of the industry’s trade association the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) and served on the Board and executive committee for 20 years.

Sonia is an advocate for the protection of intellectual property rights and serves as an expert witness on legal issues in the photography industry. Sonia is a frequent speaker and presenter at photo industry events. She is an avid conservationist and serves on the Board of Directors for the Lancaster County Conservation District and as a volunteer for the Lancaster County Youth Conservation School for more than 35 years. She was a member of the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s agriculture committee and served as its chairperson and was an active participant for 8 years.

Sonia taught agriculture at the high school level for ten years before moving to Grant Heilman Photography. She holds a B.S. in Animal Husbandry from Delaware Valley College and M.S. in Agriculture Education from Pennsylvania State University. She and her husband Frank reside in Lancaster County, PA.

Lela Reichart

Lela’s experience encompasses an extensive 25+ year career in food and agricultural marketing, with a passion for agricultural business/market development. She has successfully managed industry relations to assist in the growth and development of new business initiatives within almost every segment of Pennsylvania’s $76 billion agricultural industry.

She was most recently the Director of Marketing and Economic Development for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture where she led efforts to strengthen the message of agriculture and food to consumers, retailers and interest groups. While there she facilitated the creation of several industry partnerships that have led to increased economic development, while invigorating the state’s leading economic enterprise. Reichart was also heavily involved in strengthening the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s commitment to domestic and international trade.

She joined the Bureau of Market Development in 2008 as the USDA Specialty Crop block grant administrator for the Commonwealth of PA. She played a key role in bringing critical funding for both agricultural marketing and research to farmers across PA as well as research institutions such as the Pennsylvania State University. Under Lela’s leadership, the Department has expanded participation in the Specialty Crop Block Grant program. She also worked as a Program Director for the Mid-Atlantic Milk Marketing Association (MDA), Corporate Category Manager for Rutter’s Convenience Stores, and Extension Coordinator for Penn State University Agricultural Extension.

Lela holds a Master of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing, and is a 2012 Pennsylvania Governor’s School of Leadership (LDI) graduate.

In her new role at Sterman Masser Inc., Reichart will be responsible for marketing SMI’s growing product line. She will also work closely with Keystone Potato Products to help market fresh cut potato products to restaurants and small food service providers. In addition, she will be responsible for the company’s social media platform, company branding across the US, in-store promotional events with major retailers, and new product development and research.

Ashlee Dugan

Ashlee serves as the Development Assistant at Pasa Sustainable Agriculture. Her twenty year career has included nonprofit management, membership development and marketing. Prior to Pasa, Ashlee served as the PA Preferred Program Manager at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Ashlee was an integral part of the Broad Street Market renaissance and started Harrisburg’s first producer-only market, Farmers at Broad (FAB). A founding member of the Broad Street Market Alliance, her love of local farms, community outreach, and placemaking came to fruition through her service at the Broad Street Market.

Ashlee's work is in service to local farm business and the environment. Often described as a bridge builder, Ashlee strives to be an advocate for equitable food systems and organizations. She is honored to represent Pasa Sustainable Agriculture while serving KDC as a board director.

Ben Ledewitz

Ben Ledewitz leads service innovation for Fourth River Workers Guild, a worker owned cooperative in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Trained in industrial design, Ben's use of democratic process, design and ecology brings refreshing solutions to complex problems related to home services, business operations and community fitness. He was a founding member of Fourth River in 2013 and as a worker-owner Ben oversees company finance, strategic planning, project management and project design.

Ben has been volunteering for nine years in his east end neighborhood of Pittsburgh where he helps people imagine what places could be if neighbors worked together then supports those collective visions as they become reality. This has led to re-assignment of land ownership to residents, a grassroots resident council, new approaches to land care, community gardens, new public bus routes and the establishment of a community land trust to preserve affordable rental housing in his neighborhood. Through this work he has refined tools for structured discourse that strengthen democratic power in our rapidly changing urban context.

He still finds his way back to the mountains to lead rafting trips and paddle with friends in the creeks of West Virginia. Ben has a BA in Industrial Design from Carnegie Mellon University.

Cheryl Cook, ex-officio

Cheryl Cook returned to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture in March 2015, following a six-year stint in the federal government under the Obama Administration. She was appointed to serve as the United State Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Chief Information Officer from April 2012 to March 2015, after serving as Deputy Under Secretary for USDA’s Rural Development Mission Area from March 2009 to April 2012. From April 2003 to March 2009, Cook served under former Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff as Deputy Secretary for Marketing and Economic Development. Secretary Redding appointed Cheryl Cook as Deputy Secretary for Market Development in January 2017, following nearly two years as the Agency’s Chief Innovation Officer. As a Deputy Secretary, Cook oversees the Bureaus of Farm Show, Farmland Preservation, Food Distribution, and Market Development.

A lawyer by training, Cook’s career has included a range of service to production agriculture and rural communities. She has served in a variety of roles, from cooperative development as Executive Director of the Keystone Development Center to Pennsylvania State Director for USDA’s Rural Development programs. She has also served as the Assistant Director of the National Farmers Union’s (NFU) legislative staff in Washington, DC and Assistant to the President of NFU’s Pennsylvania chapter. She returns to the department with 30 years of experience and a commitment to advance the department’s diverse missions.

Cook received a 2017 Meritorious Service to Agriculture Award from National Farmers Union for outstanding leadership and service to family agriculture and to Farmers Union. She also was named by Federal Computer Week magazine as one of the “Federal 100” in 2015, an annual award recognizing government and industry leaders who have played pivotal roles in the federal government IT community.