Board of Directors

Lizzie and her husband Sam became the next generation of land stewards of Blue Vista Farm in Bayfield after purchasing the property in the spring of 2021, continuing in a similar vision to the previous owner while bringing new practices and techniques to the fields to repair and improve the unforgiving pressures of time and environmental conditions. Lizzie is a California native who grew up surrounded by the farmlands of the Central Valley. Living life outdoors is second nature to her as an avid mountain biker who has traveled to trails across the U.S. and Costa Rica. In addition to managing the farm, she is a data scientist by trade, an activist, coach, former college triathlete, archaeologist, and veteran of the United States Air Force.

Curt Basina is the owner and operator of Copper Crow Distillery, the first Native American-owned distillery in the country. The distillery is located on the Red Cliff Reservation, three miles north of Bayfield.

After finishing college in the Pacific Northwest, I came to Cornucopia to help my mom at Ehlers Store for the summer in 2008, came back to work for the summer in 2009 and 13 years later I am married to a man from Herbster and we live in Corny full time. My mom, Jayne, and I have spent the last decade building Ehlers General Store into a South Shore destination for tourists and locals, offering quality and speciality food, gifts, apparel and deli items. I am really proud of what we’ve built there and am excited to see what the next decade brings us. Bayfield County, but Cornucopia especially, is a place that is very special to me and as our community grows and changes over time, I’d like to be a part of shaping what comes next.

Jill Rennicke has spent more than thirty years in the hospitality and meeting planning industry and has received her Sustainable Events Professional Certification from the Green Meeting Industry Council. As a Bayfield resident for 32 years, her connections to the town and Lake Superior run deep – raising her two daughters here with her husband Jeff, serving two terms on the Bayfield City Council including work with the Governor’s Council on Main Street programs and now acting as the Co-Director of Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

Janine is the third generation of Johnsons to run Pier Plaza. The Johnsons and their staff have a duty to serve the community, acting as a cafeteria for the workforce and sometimes even referred to by locals as “the pier café.”

Julie Buckles is the owner of Honest Dog Books. She has worked and lived in the region for thirty years and is the founding editor of News from the Sloughs, a monthly tribal paper for the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. She later worked as a reporter for the Ashland Daily Press. She taught writing and journalism at Northland College and eventually became the director of communications. She purchased Honest Dog Books, formerly What Goes Round, in September 2019, managing the store, her position at Northland, a pandemic, her sleddog team, and two teenagers for more than two years. As of March 1, 2022, she left Northland to run the bookstore and is thrilled to drive in only one direction most days. She is looking forward to getting to know the Bayfield business community and helping downtown thrive.

I grew up in Washburn, WI and am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be back in the Bay Area with my family and as the owner of the very restaurant that started my life-long career in hospitality, Good Thyme! At a young age, I began getting involved in various community functions and that desire has stuck with me. I’ve found over and over being involved in and supporting local area organizations such as the Bayfield Chamber is one of the most rewarding experiences available to anyone. I care deeply about the long-term success and health of our region, and that depends on the area as a whole thriving.