Save the date · September 26, 2026
Gem City Market Annual Member Meeting 2026
Our 5-Year Homecoming Celebration
- Date
- Saturday, September 26, 2026
- Time
- 2:00 – 4:30 PMBusiness meeting 3:00 – 4:30 PM
- Where
- OUR Market324 Salem Avenue, Dayton, OH 45406
Gem City Market Cooperative will hold its Annual Member Meeting on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at OUR Market, 324 Salem Avenue, Dayton, OH 45406. This page is the hub for everything about the meeting. If you have a question that isn’t answered here, email [email protected].
This year marks five years since Gem City Market opened its doors, and we’re celebrating with a Homecoming. Come celebrate, connect, and help make the decisions that shape our Market and our neighborhood. Check-in opens at 2:00 PM — shop the market from 2:00–3:00 PM for taste testing, then join the official business meeting, which is called to order at 3:00 PM.
The annual meeting is the main time when cooperative members use their power. Members weigh in on key choices, elect the board of directors, and review the co-op’s financial health. This is how the cooperative stays accountable to what members actually need.
Why participating in governance matters
- Meet the candidates →Members choose the people who serve on the board. Read the four candidates’ profiles before you vote.
- Weigh in on store policy →Big changes need a member vote; smaller changes need member feedback. Submit an agenda item through August 27.
- Ask questions →Leaders answer member concerns directly. Opens a new message to the board.Not a Gmail user? Email [email protected]
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Review the moneyThe co-op shares its yearly financial reports with members at the meeting.
Below — and in the weeks to come — this page is your hub for how to suggest agenda items, elect the board, and stay involved.
Day-of schedule
| Time | What’s happening |
|---|---|
| 2:00 PM | Check-in, shopping & taste testing |
| 3:00 PM | Call to order — business meeting begins: proof of notice, introduction of the board, mission statement, approval of the 2025 minutes, annual officer & committee reports, GM report (State of the Co-op), board elections & announcements, new business, Q&A, closing remarks and adjournment |
Key dates
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Aug 7 | Board nomination period opens |
| Aug 10–27 | Online form open for members to submit suggested agenda items |
| Aug 26 | Board nomination period closes |
| Aug 28 | Board meeting — board sets the meeting agenda, reviews nominees, and finalizes the meeting plan |
| Sept 1 (no later than Sept 5) |
Nominees announced; formal notice of the Annual Member Meeting, with agenda, sent to all members |
| Sept 1–22 | Member voting for the community-elected board seat, in person at the Market |
| Sept 26 2:00–4:30 PM |
Annual Member Meeting (State of the Co-op) — shopping and taste testing 2:00–3:00 PM, business meeting called to order at 3:00 PM |
Suggest an agenda item
Have something you’d like the board to address at this year’s meeting? Submit it online between August 10 and August 27.
Board candidates
Nominations closed on August 26, and four members are on this year’s ballot. Each candidate completed the Board Member Nominee Questionnaire, which confirms they are members in good standing and forms the basis of the profiles below.
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Jamie RobinsonInfection Control Manager, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
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Julia RobinsonMember Capacity Manager, Ohio CDC Association
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DaQuawna DunnicanFounder & Senior Director, Intentional Lead / 1WorldSync
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Debi ChessDirector of External Relations & Development, Dayton Metro Library
Read each candidate’s full statement — why they’re running, the role they see for the Market in Dayton’s future, and the cooperative principle that resonates most with them — before you cast your ballot.
What board service asks of them
Gem City Market’s Board of Directors plays a vital role in our cooperative’s success and in keeping us aligned with our values. Every candidate on the ballot has confirmed they are willing to meet these expectations.
Voting
Member voting for the community-elected board seat runs September 1–22, in person at the Market.
By September 5, check back here for all board candidates along with full voting information, including absentee voting.