Board of Directors
Our board is charged with overseeing the work of our staff and volunteer committees. We attempt to make most policy decisions based on a written proposals and recommendations from the committees. The board meets five times per year via teleconference and once per year at our annual general assembly of all members.
Read more about the functions and roles of our Board of Directors.
Heine Brothers - Mike Mays,
Peace Coffee - Lee Wallace,
Cafe Campesino - Tripp Pomeroy,
Bean North - Michael King
Just Coffee - Mike Moon
Desert Sun - Glenn Lathrop
Bongo Java - Tio Pistilli
Higher Grounds - Chris Treter
Mike Mays, Heine Brother's
Mike Mays is co-founder of Heine Brothers’ Coffee, a coffee roaster and retailer in Louisville, Kentucky with 5 neighborhood cafes. Prior to starting a coffee company, Mike practiced law with a firm in Louisville. He holds a B.S. in Finance and a Law Degree from Indiana University. Mike and his wife Elizabeth are the proud parents of 4 young children. Mike serves on the Finance Committee of Cooperative Coffees. top
Lee Wallace, Peace Coffee

Mr. Pomeroy is the managing partner of Café Campesino and serves as the company’s representative on Cooperative Coffees’ Board of Directors. He also serves as the co-op’s Secretary and Outreach Committee Chair. Mr. Pomeroy is responsible for the general management and development of Café Campesino, a founding member of Cooperative Coffees and 100% Fair Trade organic coffee company, and has participated in delegations to producer partner cooperatives in Guatemala and Nicaragua. Mr. Pomeroy has more than 15 years of working experience in business and new venture development and management, international trade, sales and marketing and communications. He has lived and worked in Mexico and Paraguay (where he met his wife) and has worked on a variety of business ventures in Argentina, Brazil and Italy. As an undergraduate, Mr. Pomeroy participated in the first study abroad program in Kingston, Jamaica and was an exchange student in Poznan, Poland. Mr. Pomeroy has a B.A. in Political Science from Tufts University and an M.A. in International Development from The American University School of International Service in Washington, D.C. He is fluent in Spanish. top
Mr. King and his life and business partner Helen Voogd are two of the original founding owners of Bean North Coffee Roasting Company Ltd. Located north of the 60th parallel nestled in the northern boreal forest Bean North offers exclusively certified organic and fair trade coffees. Prior to his desire to sow the seeds of change from the Yukon, Michael obtained a technologist degree in environmental engineering and headed north in search of work and wilderness. Michael and Helen share their dreams with their son Sasha. Michael is currently the Co Chair of Cooperative Coffees and sits on the membership committee. top
Glenn Lathrop, Desert Sun Coffee
In his own words: "few unknown facts: grew up on a dairy farm, started roasting coffee 4 years ago, , climbed the highest peak in the western hemisphere, Aconcagua at 22,800 feet, instructor for Outward Bound, guided white water from Alaska to the desert southwest, our kids are two Labrador retrievers named sadie and sami, lucky to be married to Kim Moriyama, I love back country skiing and mountain biking, BS from Cornell University, I LOVE COFFEE!" top
Mr. Treter is the co-founder and co- president of Higher Grounds Trading Co, Michigan's 100% fair trade and organic coffee roasting company. Higher Grounds Trading Co. has their Coffee Bar and Roastery in Traverse City, Michigan and Chris regular leads tours to coffee growing regions as part of their Fair Trade Tours. Chris - along with all the staff at Higher Grounds is dedicated to sourcing the highest quality beans grown by the most progressive social change agents in the world. His quest for the perfect cup of coffee has led him across the globe. But he most enjoys a long hike with his two dogs, Scuba and Cooper and business partner and co-conspirator in life, Jody through the pine, cedar, maple and birch trees of Northern Michigan.





