2026 Board of Directors Candidates

JOHN BUDD

Incumbent Board Member
Currently serving as Chair of the General Manager Search Committee and on the Finance Committee.

My name is John Budd and my family and I have lived in Fredericksburg for almost 20 years. By day, I work with a firm focused on helping not-for-profit hospitals and health systems. I am a graduate of the University of Mary Washington where I earned both my undergraduate degree in English as well as my Masters in Business Administration. My wife Lindsay and I have two children, George and Olivia and a Golden Retriever named June Carter. 

We can usually be found at the Co-op at least a few days a week for breakfast getting Chocolate Gooses and Sausage Egg and Cheeses or doing our weekly shopping. I currently serve on the Co-op Board and have also served in volunteer governance roles including as President of the National Capital Healthcare Executives. I look forward to continuing to partner with the Co-op Board and management to help in any way that I can.

CAT CARTER

Incumbent Board Member
Currently serving as Chair of the Sustainability Committee and member of the Annual Meeting and GM Search Committees.

Catherine (Cat) Carter is a purpose-driven leader, systems thinker, and community builder with a passion for sustainability, equity, and operational excellence.

Currently serving as Development Director at Friends of the Rappahannock, Cat oversees a growing fundraising program focused on major gifts, corporate partnerships, and community engagement to protect and restore one of Virginia’s most treasured rivers. She’s also the founder of FXBG Compost, a local composting initiative rooted in her belief in circular systems and community resilience.

Cat has been an active member of the Fredericksburg Food Co-op board for over a year, where she chairs the Sustainability Committee and was privileged to represent the Co-op at Consumer Cooperative Management Association (CCMA). 

With a decade of leadership in both nonprofit and corporate sectors, Cat brings deep expertise in operational planning, project management, business process optimization, and cross-functional collaboration. She has held multiple senior roles previously overseeing global supply chains and service delivery platforms. In her nonprofit experience, she managed volunteer programs, national events, fundraising initiatives, and strategy, and enjoyed leading youth wilderness trips.

Cat is a skilled facilitator of cross-sector collaboration and has led DEI, green infrastructure, and community engagement initiatives throughout her career.

Outside of work, Cat can be found hiking, biking, paddling, at the pottery studio, or dreaming up the next community project.

VALERIE HOPSON-BELL

Incumbent Board Member
Currently serving on the Executive Committee (Secretary). Previously served on the Nominating Committee (Chair) and Sustainability Committee, and volunteered at the Food for All 5k event.

I live in Spotsylvania County with my life partner, Pat Holland. Together we share a large, colorful family: two sons, two grandsons, twin granddaughters, and one beautiful great‑granddaughter.

Community has always been central to who I am — whether advocating for the queer community, supporting the unhoused population, championing community birthing doulas, or simply taking in the beauty of the Rappahannock River. This is my home.

Matt Small

Matt Small is the founder of Commonwealth Creative, a Fredericksburg creative studio that builds modern, technology-driven brands without the bloat or bureaucracy. He has been part of the Fredericksburg community since 1985. He lives with his family and pets along the Rappahannock River near Hartwood, where they enjoy swimming, gardening, arts & crafts and shopping.