Everything Co-op with Vernon Oakes

Vernon and Steve discuss Food For Change, his current film production, and how he uses a variety of storytelling techniques to convey the stories of today's cooperative movement. Alves is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who graduated from the University of Southern California Film School. After working in Hollywood and New York City as a film editor for 10 years, he moved to western Massachusetts and started his own documentary company, Home Planet Pictures. Two consistent themes in Alves' films are the inter-generational ties, and the role of community in American life. Since 1997, Alves has written, produced, and directed six films about New England and what it means to have a sense of place. His 2001 production. Together in Time, won a CINE Golden Eagle, Best Short Documentary at the International Family Film Festival, and a Gold Award from WorldFest-Houston. Alves is also the 2015 recipient of the Austin Miller Cooperative Hero Award, given by the River Valley Market. Alves continues this theme in his current production, Food For Change which tells the history of the co-op movement in the United Sates and role food co-ops are playing in the development of local food systems.

Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard, Professor and Author of Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice appears on Everything Co-op. Mr. Oakes and Dr. Gordon Nembhard discuss her work on the development of worker Cooperatives with incarcerated and returning citizens, The Movement for Black Lives and other initiatives she has supported.

Rosemary Mahoney, Principal of Mahoney Consulting, LLC appears on Everything Co-op. Vernon and Rosemary discuss her career in cooperative development, and the strategies and analytical tools available to assess the viability of a cooperative. Ms. Mahoney is Principal of Mahoney Consulting, LLC, where she works as an independent consultant on cooperative development and community projects. She is the former CEO of CoopMetrics, and has worked as a consultant on international cooperative development projects and cooperative business development projects in the United States. She was a founding partner of MainStreet Cooperative Group, LLC, director of New Venture Development for Cooperative Solutions, LLC, executive director of Cooperative Development Services (CDS) and Regional Director for Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. At present, Rosemary serves on the board of directors of the National Cooperative Business Association, National Cooperative Grocers Association Development Cooperative, Thanexus, Inc., The Cooperative Foundation and Capital Impact Partners. Rosemary formerly served on the boards of directors of the National Cooperative Bank, the National Cooperative Grocers Association, Cooperative Development Institute and CooperationWorks.

Vernon interviews Annie Hill , President of the Potomac Association of Housing Cooperatives. Vernon and Annie discuss her role as a leader in the cooperatives movement, the role cooperatives play in providing affordable housing options, and the Association's 41st Annual Conference, which will be held April 27 - 29, in Dover Downs Hotel. The Potomac Association of Housing Cooperatives, Inc. (PAHC), was founded in 1976 by representatives from 13 housing cooperatives and 1 condominium association. The primary objective of PAHC is to provide continuing education for its Board of Directors and members of cooperative communities. Ms. Hill has led the organization to become one the premiere cooperatives organizations in the Washington Metropolitan Region. The organization has sponsored three Baltimore City housing cooperatives, and representatives of PAHC served on each interim Board of Directors. They, along with other PAHC representatives provided new member orientation and extensive leadership training to each respective cooperative community.

Vernon and Justin discussed the importance cooperatives, and how some of the Executive Orders and other actions taken by President Trump might impact communities that are dependent on Federal aid. During his career, Justin has worked in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government, developing a keen insight into solving the challenges that face Virginia families today. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Deputy Coordinator of the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force, Justin saw the power that law enforcement and criminal justice reform can have to keep communities safe, while providing appropriate second chances, saving hard-earned taxpayer dollars, and changing communities and lives. As Lieutenant Governor, Justin vows to work every day to build the foundation of economic and educational opportunity that every Virginian deserves. He also realizes the importance of cooperatives and understands how they can be integrated into the fabric of Virginia life.

Vernon interviews Melissa Hoover, founding Executive Director of the Democracy at Work Institute, and Anh-Thu Nguyen, Director of Special Projects for the Democracy at Work Institute. Vernon and his guests discuss the recent growth in worker cooperatives, worker cooperative initiatives being implemented at the city level across the country, the recent developments surrounding initiatives to develop cooperatives in New York City, and the many programs and resources that are offered through the Democracy at Work Institute. Melissa Hoover is the founding Executive Director of the Democracy at Work Institute, the think-and-do-tank that expands worker cooperatives as a strategy to address economic and racial inequality. A leader in the worker ownership movement for over fifteen years, Melissa helped start and grow the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives, the national grassroots membership organization for worker-owned businesses. She was a cooperative business developer for many years with the Arizmendi Association of Cooperatives in Oakland, doing business and capital planning, training cooperative members, and serving as CFO in the first year of each startup's operations. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of The ICA Group/Local Enterprise Assistance Fund and The Working World, and serves as a strategic advisor to foundations, investors, nonprofits, unions, local governments and other organizations that want to incorporate worker ownership into their economic development and community wealth-building programs. Originally from Kansas City, Melissa attended Stanford University on a full scholarship, earning a BA in History with a research focus on immigrant women's role building cooperative movements in the U.S. Anh-Thu Nguyen is Director of Special Projects for the Democracy at Work Institute, where she leads the incubation of a transparent, ethical, and cooperative-led value chain within the textile and fashion industries. She was most recently Director at We See Beauty Foundation, where she supported women-led, worker-owned initiatives. Born and raised in Tampa Bay, Florida to Vietnamese parents, Anh-Thu early on developed a wide array of interests that led her to study Classics and Government at Georgetown University and earn her JD at the University of Texas School of Law. Her work experience includes luxury/artisan branding and marketing, international humanitarian law, transitional justice, and dental laboratory technology. year: 2017 genre: Speech (id 101) track: 4062017

Everything Co-ops Host, Vernon Oakes, interviews Rodney North, Cooperative Consultant, and member of the DC Cooperative Stakeholders Group. Vernon and Rodney discuss events and initiatives of the Stakeholders Group, their upcoming workshop, “How Co-ops Strengthen Neighborhoods,” and the DC Anchor Partnership. Rodney North has spent more than two decades in co-ops, helping co-ops, or advocating for the co-op model, and usually was doing all three at the same time. Today Rodney is consultant to cooperatives, and an active member of the DC Cooperative Stakeholders Group. This is a group of local people and institutions who have been meeting for the last six months - thanks to support from the city's Department of Small and Local Business Development - to explore ways to strengthen and support co-ops in the city. The city is supporting this effort because business cooperatives are one thread in the city's overall economic development strategy. Before returning to the DC area in 2015 Rodney spent 20 years as part of Equal Exchange - one of the nation's largest, most successful, and influential worker-owned cooperatives. You may know Equal Exchange for its brand of organic Fair Trade coffee, chocolate or other foods. But it is also a $65 million dollar enterprise 100% owned and controlled by the 150 men and women who work there. Rodney held many roles there: Vice chair of the board of directors, worker-owner, staff trainer and other leadership positions. But he was best known as The Answer Man. He was called the Answer Man for many reasons, but especially because so often when people - inside or outside the co-op - needed answers Rodney was there to help, drawing on his many years of experience and his wide knowledge of the issues that mattered to Equal Exchange, its customers and it the thousands of farmers that supplied his co-op.

Richard Larochelle, retired Senior Vice President, National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, and 2017 Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductee appears on Everything Co-op, Vernon and Richard discuss the food co-op he's helping to form in his community, and his life work and experiences as a leader in the cooperative movement. Rich Larochelle has spent his life championing the cooperative business model. During a 40-year electric cooperative career -including nearly a decade with the federal Rural Electrification Administration (REA) and later senior leadership posts with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation-he demonstrated his passion for helping cooperative consumers by fighting to improve the quality of rural life at every turn. His achievements were many: encouraging Congress to create the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program (REDL&G); securing passage of the REA Improvement Act of 1992; overcoming a presidential veto of the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992; establishing Kauai Island Utility Cooperative in Hawaii; and fashioning a fee structure for the USDA Guaranteed Underwriter Program that delivers sustainable funding for REDL&G. Drawing on his decades of cooperative financial expertise, he has also lent insights and guidance to dozens of seminal studies and offered technical assistance that helped electric cooperatives in the Philippines establish the Rural Electrification Finance Corporation.

Vernon interviews John D. Johnson, retired President & CEO, CHS Inc., and 2017 Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductee. Vernon and John discuss his life work and experiences as a leader in the cooperative movement, and the history of CHS Inc. and how the cooperative business model and guiding principles were used to establish the business. John Johnson's vision and unwavering belief in the cooperative value proposition reshaped U.S. agricultural co-ops' ability to capture 21st century success. Grounded by his rural North Dakota and South Dakota roots, he dedicated his 34-year career to embracing innovative opportunities to connect producers from their farms and ranches to the global marketplace through their cooperatives. Johnson's leadership style combined a clear vision of the benefits of pursuing new paths, initially for Harvest States Cooperatives and later for CHS Inc., with an exceptional ability to articulate the benefits of these bold steps to member-owners, board members and employees with trust, integrity and transparency. Among the groundbreaking actions of his tenure were major investments in food manufacturing, establishment of global operations, development of alternative ownership structures, and issuance of publicly traded, non-voting preferred stock as an additional growth capital tool. With his fellow cooperative chief executive at Cenex, Inc., he recognized the long-term strategic value of uniting the two co-ops in 1998. To date, hundreds of thousands of CHS member co-ops and producer-owners have benefited from dependable product supply, global market access and unprecedented economic returns through their connections to CHS energy, fertilizer, grain marketing, value-added food and food ingredients and business services.

Vernon Interviews Ms. Noémi Giszpenc, Executive Director of Cooperative Development Institute. Vernon and Noémi discuss the role that cooperatives can play in the Arts,the role that African American Women have played in the cooperative movement, and CDI's work to help start-up cooperatives, and support existing cooperative businesses. Ms. Giszpenc, manages the day-to-day activities of the organization. She began her career as an economics researcher at the World Bank, worked as an editor at the Nonprofit Quarterly, a magazine for nonprofit managers, and became a principal at Ownership Associates, Inc., a consulting firm in Cambridge, MA specializing in developing an ownership culture at employee-owned firms. As part of earning a Master's in Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University, she did a thesis on the creation of a cooperative economy in the Northeast, including the practical development of an interactive cooperative directory, which has now evolved into the Data Commons Cooperative (www.datacommons.coop).

Vernon interviews Kate Mereand, Program Manager for Tech & Innovation, DC Department of Small and Local Business Development. Vernon and Kate discuss the Stakeholders Co-op group, and other programs and initiatives of DC Department of Small and Local Business Development. Ms. Mereand provides one-on-one technical assistance to any DC-based business seeking to grow, with a special focus on diversity inclusion across all business industries and the tech sector. Her work includes providing support for the overall entrepreneurial ecosystem, to ensure it is both inclusive and innovative. She also conducts stakeholder groups and pilot programs to support specific populations in the District as they pursue entrepreneurship, including: youth, the disability community, cooperatives, and those involved with the justice system. To that end Ms. Mereand has been supporting a monthly, open stakeholder group on building the cooperative ecosystem in DC for the last six months, and will operate that programming through at least the end of 2017.

Vernon interviews Brad Mitchell, Managing Director, Battelle for Kids. Vernon and Brad discuss his innovative approached to advance education reform, with an emphasis on his focus on rural collaboratives. As a Managing Director, Brad leads Battelle for Kids' efforts to advance innovative education reform, especially around rural collaboratives that serve as practice partners in research and practice partnerships focused on advancing access, equity and quality for rural students. He previously led the Ohio Appalachian Collaborative, a partnership between Battelle for Kids and 27 school districts in southeast Ohio dedicated to developing a comprehensive approach to accelerating college and career readiness. Throughout his career, Brad has worked at the national and state levels in the role of educational policy analyst, serving on the staff of the 1982 National Commission on Excellence in Education (A Nation at Risk) and as Director of Community Partnerships for the Ohio Children and Family First Initiative.

Gail Taylor, is the owner/operator of Three Part Harmony Farm. A long-time resident of the District, Taylor has worked as an organizer and social justice activist focusing on Latin America solidarity (internationally) and affordable housing issues (locally.) She has been farming organically since 2005. Taylor speaks regularly on food and farming issues and has been featured in The Washington Post in 2014 and 2015 for her role as a leader in the urban ag movement. In 2015, she was featured as one of Fifty+ under 50: Innovative leaders transforming metro DC’s food system. She is a member of the Seed Keeper’s Collective, Ecohermanas, and co-founder of Community Farming Alliance. Three Part Harmony Farm exists to grow food for people, but it also exists in part to challenge our assumptions on how urban farms should look. It intentionally seeks to create a viable and just local food economy while at the same time dismantling racism and the ever present, entrenched forms of oppression in that same food system. Three Part Harmony Farm has an active work exchange program where people can work in exchange for fresh produce from the farm. The farm donates produce to soup kitchens and food pantries that redistribute food to people in need. Gail and other affiliates of the farm also work on campaigns to create more equity in the food system. The Farm's mantra defines its’ core principles: Food as Medicine. Food as Culture. Food for our Future.

Vernon Oales interviews Jessica Johnson, Regional Director of Community Purchasing Alliance (CPA). Vernon and Jessica discuss the business practices of CPA, and how the organization has saved its members over #3 million dollars in the past three years. Vernon Oakes interviews Jessica Johnson, Regional Director of Community Purchasing Alliance (CPA). Vernon and Jessica talk about how CPA has leveraged the buying power of community institutions to help lower operating costs, while also making investments in sustainability, worker equity, and community organizing. As Regional Director of CPA, Jessica Johnson manages the group purchasing and strategic sourcing of CPA's 75 member community institutions in the Washington DC region. Jessica has 13 years of management, sales, and contracting experience working in the for-profit, non-profit and government sectors. Most recently Jessica led a team at Education Data Systems, Inc. where she assisted with the procurement of $2 million in annual contracts. She also managed and oversaw the daily operations of the TANF program that enrolled over 1,500 program participants each year. Jessica's focus at CPA co-op is growing the organization's membership in the MD-DC-VA metro region, and building new programs to meet the needs of members. Jessica holds a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and International Studies from Elmira College in NY and Masters in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania.

Vernon interviews Rebecca Smith, General Manager of REI's Flagship store in Washington, DC. Vernon and Rebecca discuss how REI got started, its evolution, culture, business structure, and how it functions as a consumer cooperative. In October of 2016 REI, the national outdoor co-op, opened its fifth flagship store in Washington, D.C. The 51,000 square-will foot store, located in the NOMA neighborhood is just blocks from the U.S. Capitol. The store offers the outdoor community a spot to reconnect with one another and discover world-class outdoor gear curated specifically for the region. REI is a specialty outdoor retailer, headquartered near Seattle. The nation's largest consumer co-op, REI is a growing community of 5.5 million active members who expect and love the best quality gear, inspiring expert classes and trips, and outstanding customer service. REI has 143 stores in 35 states.

Vernon interviews David Levine, President/CEO of the American Sustainable Business Council, (ASBC). Vernon and David discuss the philosophy and strategies ASBC uses to educate and inform the public and policy makers about the benefits of a more sustainable economy. David is the co-founder and chief executive officer of the American Sustainable Business Council. He has worked as a social entrepreneur for over 30 years focusing on the development of whole systems solutions for a more sustainable society through building strategic partnerships and broad stakeholders' initiatives. Previously, he was the Founding Director of Continuing Education & Public Programs at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. From 1984-1997, David was Founder and executive director of the Learning Alliance, an independent popular education organization. Established in 2009, the American Sustainable Business Council is a network of businesses and business associations that have committed themselves to the triple bottom line of People, Planet, and Profit. ASBC members believe that sustainable business is good business, and a sustainable economy is a prosperous and resilient one. Today, together with the organizations that have joined in this partnership, ASBC represent over 250,000 businesses and social enterprises.

Vernon discusses the relationship between Spirituality and Cooperatives

Vernon interviews Monique Rizer, Executive Director of Opportunity Nation. Vernon and Monique discuss Our Opportunity Nation, the 2017 Opportunity Index, and other research and reports being used to close the opportunity gap in America. Since September of 2015, Monique Rizer has been the Executive Director of Opportunity Nation. Under her leadership, the team has grown supporters by 35 percent and developed "Our Opportunity Nation," a national opportunity plan that was featured in the Washington Post, and garnered the endorsement of more than 130 organizations. Prior to joining Opportunity Nation, Monique served as the Chief of Staff for Be The Change, Inc., Opportunity Nation's parent organization. She also served as deputy director of military spouse programs for the Military Officers Association of America, where she founded Keeping a Career on the Move®, which earned the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE) 'Power of A' Silver Award. Monique is a national spokesperson on opportunity. She has been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, Black Enterprise and NPR. She has also served as a speaker of choice for the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She has also testified before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, about the impact of deployments on military spouse careers. Monique is a proud first-generation college graduate, who frequently speaks about her experiences as a young mother, and the obstacles faced growing up in a low-income family.

Vernon Oakes Interviews John Holdsclaw, Senior VP of Corporate Affairs at National Cooperative Bank (NCB). Vernon and John discuss the role cooperatives play in addressing critical issues in low to moderate Income communities, and the tools that are used to sustain them. Holdsclaw is NCB's first Senior VP of Corporate Affairs. He is charged with the development of new bank relationships and management of the bank's existing affiliations with Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs). He also promotes and advances social investment opportunities within the philanthropic arena and in product development, furthering NCB's commitment to mission banking. Prior to joining NCB, Mr. Holdsclaw served as the Director of Policy Development for Capital Impact Partners, a strategic partner of NCB. As Director of Policy at Capital Impact Partners, he was instrumental in the development and implementation of its government relations program, and building a respected brand with other CDFIs.

Vernon interviews John D. Johnson, retired President & CEO, CHS Inc., and 2017 Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductee. Vernon and John discuss his life work and experiences as a leader in the cooperative movement, and the history of CHS Inc. and how the cooperative business model and guiding principles were used to establish the business. John Johnson's vision and unwavering belief in the cooperative value proposition reshaped U.S. agricultural co-ops' ability to capture 21st century success. Grounded by his rural North Dakota and South Dakota roots, he dedicated his 34-year career to embracing innovative opportunities to connect producers from their farms and ranches to the global marketplace through their cooperatives. Johnson's leadership style combined a clear vision of the benefits of pursuing new paths, initially for Harvest States Cooperatives and later for CHS Inc., with an exceptional ability to articulate the benefits of these bold steps to member-owners, board members and employees with trust, integrity and transparency. Among the groundbreaking actions of his tenure were major investments in food manufacturing, establishment of global operations, development of alternative ownership structures, and issuance of publicly traded, non-voting preferred stock as an additional growth capital tool. With his fellow cooperative chief executive at Cenex, Inc., he recognized the long-term strategic value of uniting the two co-ops in 1998. To date, hundreds of thousands of CHS member co-ops and producer-owners have benefited from dependable product supply, global market access and unprecedented economic returns through their connections to CHS energy, fertilizer, grain marketing, value-added food and food ingredients and business services.

Vernon Oakes interviews Dennis Bolling, former President and CEO of Producers Livestock Association, and 2016 Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductee. Vernon and Dennis discuss his experience with the Producers Livestock Association and the importance of integrating training into the cooperative business plan to ensure that all members are knowledgeable of cooperative principles. Dennis Bolling was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Producers Livestock Association in April of 1989, for United Producers, Inc. until his recent retirement in December of 2015. Since his retirement Dennis has continued to provide consultation for the in-house training curriculum. It is clear that cooperatives will always be an integral part of his life. As such, earlier this month Dennis was inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame for the lifelong contributions he has made to the cooperative community. Mr. Bolling has served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the National Livestock Producers Association, worked with the Governor's Task Force on Packer Retention, and chaired the finance panels for the Pork and Beef Strategic Planning projects in Ohio. He was instrumental in the formation of the National Livestock Sheep & Goat Fund in conjunction with USDA and served as the Fund's first chair. He recently completed a multi-year term as chair of the LEAD Program, a 2-year leadership program affiliated with Ohio State. Prior to joining United Producers, Mr. Bolling was an officer with the National Bank for Cooperatives, with responsibilities for regional cooperatives in Ohio.

Induction into the Cooperative Hall of Fame is the highest honor that the U.S. cooperative community bestows on the extraordinary men and women who have made genuinely heroic contributions in support of the cooperative form of enterprise. This year's inductees are: Dennis Bolling, outgoing president and CEO of United Producers, Inc., who will be interviewed on May 19; Dennis A. Johnson, former president and CEO of the St. Paul Bank for Cooperatives, who will be interviewed on May 26; and Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard, author of "Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice," who was interviewed on February 25. (Click Here for interview) Vernon Oakes shares an overview of the 2016 Cooperative Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, and illustrates how the 2016 inductees have integrated cooperative principles into their contributions to the cooperative movement. These cooperative leaders will be recognized at the annual Cooperative Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on the evening of May 4, 2016. In conjunction with the ceremony, a public forum on cooperative development and leadership will be held in the afternoon. This year's theme is The Changing Nature of Work and the Role of Cooperatives.

Vernon and Alan discuss the role he plays as an advocate, the recent Congressional Fly-in, and how the Cooperative Legislative Caucus, and Interagency Workgroup can be used to advance initiatives and concerns of the cooperative community within the legislature.

Vernon interviews John Zippert, Director of Program Operations for the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund (FSC). Vernon and John discuss his role in carrying out the objectives of FSC, and options for creating a formalized education program for cooperatives. John Zippert is the Director of Program Operations for the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund at their Rural Training and Research Center in Epes, Alabama. He has over 45 years experience in community organizing, cooperative and credit union development, community based economic development and rural development in distressed communities. Prior to working for the Federation, he was a fieldworker for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in Louisiana. He has a BA degree in history from the City College of New York; and has participated in numerous training sessions and courses to enhance his skills in rural development. Zippert has worked with the Federation on the development of affordable housing for low income people in Alabama, including development, loan packaging and construction of over 250 units of single family housing, self-help housing and four rural multi-family projects with 126 units. Zippert and his wife Carol are co-publishers of the Greene County Democrat, the weekly newspaper in their home rural community. They have published the newspaper since it was acquired in December 1984 by a community group in the county.

Vernon interviews Cornelius Blanding Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives. Vernon and Cornelius wdiscuss FSC's upcoming Annual Meeting, and the role the Federation plays in assisting people to help themselves through cooperatives. Cornelius Blanding assumed the position of Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives earlier this year on March 1. He began his career in development work as an economic development intern for the City of Miami Beach. Since then he has gained a broad experience base including rural, international and cooperative economic development. Blanding has worked with the Federation for the past 17 years in various program and leadership capacities to propel the organization and its membership forward. Immediately prior to his appointment he served as the Federation's deputy director. During his tenure with the Federation, Blanding spearheaded several of the program's special initiatives, including its international work in Africa, the Caribbean and around the world. He has also spent more than two decades managing diverse, rural development projects worldwide. He has worked as a small business development and management consultant; managed a $3 million revolving loan fund, led disaster relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and a pilot urban agriculture project in Cleveland, Ohio. Blanding has also led the Federation's Cooperative Development Team working nationally and internationally to promote the cooperative movement. He developed the "Cooperative Roundtable" as part of the Federation's efforts to connect emerging and people-of-color cooperatives in the South with the more established cooperative movement in the nation. Cornelius has also served and continues to serve on various boards and committees, including the National Cooperative Business Association, Agricultural Safety & Health Council of America, Southeast Climate Consortium, Presbyterian Committee on the Self Development of People and was recently appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to serve on the Land Tenure Sub-Committee of the USDA Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers & Ranchers.

Vernon interviews Andrew Garte, the Chief Executive Officer at Community CleanWater Management Group, Inc. (CCMG). Vernon and Andrew discuss how CCMG has used co-op principals to create wealth building opportunities for the worker owners of their company. Andrew Garte is the Chief Executive Officer at Community CleanWater Management Group, Inc. Mr. Garte has over 30-years of experience in sustainability programs, pollution prevention,stormwater management, environmental management, site assessment and environmental consulting. Prior to joining CCMG Mr. Garte served as a Senior Environmental Scientist and Project Director at a number of large area environmental science and engineering firms. He holds a BS in Marine Biology from Southeastern Massachusetts University, is proficient in environmental regulations, including the Clean Water Act, and State and Local National Pollution Discharge Elimination Service requirements and Watershed Implementation Plans. He is experienced in water and land conservation planning and programs, natural resources management, sustainable development and renewable energy issues.

Vernon interviews Andrew Reicher,and Alex Roesch, Project Associate for co-op outreach and research at UHAB (the Urban Homestead Assistance Board. The gentleman discussed their current research project, "Building Capacity to Serve and Grow the Cooperative Housing Community, and initiatives of the Urban Homestead Assistance Board).

Vernon interviews Cornelius Blanding Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives. Vernon and Cornelius wdiscuss FSC's upcoming Annual Meeting, and the role the Federation plays in assisting people to help themselves through cooperatives. Cornelius Blanding assumed the position of Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives earlier this year on March 1. He began his career in development work as an economic development intern for the City of Miami Beach. Since then he has gained a broad experience base including rural, international and cooperative economic development. Blanding has worked with the Federation for the past 17 years in various program and leadership capacities to propel the organization and its membership forward. Immediately prior to his appointment he served as the Federation's deputy director. During his tenure with the Federation, Blanding spearheaded several of the program's special initiatives, including its international work in Africa, the Caribbean and around the world. He has also spent more than two decades managing diverse, rural development projects worldwide. He has worked as a small business development and management consultant; managed a $3 million revolving loan fund, led disaster relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and a pilot urban agriculture project in Cleveland, Ohio. Blanding has also led the Federation's Cooperative Development Team working nationally and internationally to promote the cooperative movement. He developed the "Cooperative Roundtable" as part of the Federation's efforts to connect emerging and people-of-color cooperatives in the South with the more established cooperative movement in the nation. Cornelius has also served and continues to serve on various boards and committees, including the National Cooperative Business Association, Agricultural Safety & Health Council of America, Southeast Climate Consortium, Presbyterian Committee on the Self Development of People and was recently appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to serve on the Land Tenure Sub-Committee of the USDA Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers & Ranchers.

Vernon interviews Michael Peck, Co-founder of 1worker1vote.org and Delegate for Mondragon Corporation. Vernon and Michael discuss the National Union Coop Symposium, 1worker1vote.org, and Mondragon Corporation, the largest worker cooperative in the world. Michael Peck strives to overcome inequalities of wealth/income, opportunity, and social mobility by applying the sixty years of Mondragon experience and principles to form, transform, and transition worker co-ops and union co-ops. Since late 1999, Michael Alden Peck has served as the North American delegate for Mondragon, the world's largest industrial worker cooperative. On March 26th, 2012, the United Steelworkers (USW), Mondragon, and the Ohio Employee Ownership Center (OEOC) announced the union-coop template, to create worker-owner hybrid projects and businesses with the goal of revamping U.S. manufacturing through worker empowerment and ownership. In January 2014, Michael helped to launch 1worker1vote.org, a non-profit dedicated to solving America's unhealthy & unequal opportunity, mobility, and wealth divides through broad-based, equal share worker ownership.

Vernon and his guests discuss the evolution of housing cooperatives in Washington, D.C., the prospect of forming a federation of limited equity housing cooperatives, and the role cooperatives play in improving the quality of life for its participants. Ajowa Nzinga Ifateyo has been a co-editor of Grassroots Economic Organizing, (GEO) for more than 10 years. GEO, a 30-year-old publication, reports on cooperative developments around the world, and provides advocacy for alternative economic solutions. Her work with GEO has inspired her to research and think about ways to empower individuals to make personal changes to better organize and participate in cooperative/group entrepreneurial enterprises. Ajowa has nine years of experience on cooperative boards, including: Ujamaa Collective, the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, and the Eastern Conference on Workplace Development. In 2000, she and four other D.C. residents co-founded an affordable housing co-op for community organizers, the Ella Jo Baker Intentional Community Cooperative, in Washington, DC, where she served as treasurer and secretary-treasurer for about six years. Presently, Ajowa is researching how to effectively incorporate spirituality in the work of organizing co-ops. Amanda Huron is an Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences in the Department of Political Science, History, and Global Studies at the University of the District of Columbia. She has conducted extensive research on cooperatives, and written several articles on the subject, including Creating a Commons in the Capital: The Emergence of Limited-Equity Housing Cooperatives in Washington, D.C. (Washington History, Fall 2014).

Vernon Discusses the Role of cooperatives in Black History. He also reflects upon comments made by past guest related to the same.

Vernon discusses the Community Purchasing Alliance and interviews Marile Rist, President of Christ Lutheran Church. The Community Purchasing Alliance (CPA) is a social-purpose cooperative that leverages the buying power of community institutions to help lower operating costs, while also making investments in sustainability, worker equity, and community organizing. As a cooperative, CPA is wholly owned by its members, that serves the needs of its members first. Through aggregation and group procurement of services, CPA helps its members save money and get better service, while also holding vendors to higher standards in terms of environmental and worker practices.

Vernon Oakes interviews Dr. Jessica Gordon Nembhard on Everything Coop, a weekly radio show that airs on Radio One's landmark station, WOL 1450 AM, in the Washington, DC market. Dr. Gordon Nembhard discussed her book Collective Courage: The History of African American Economic Thought and Practice. The book traces economic cooperation from the early 1700's to the present. From Mutual Aid Societies to The Federation of Southern Cooperatives.

Vernon interviews Bruce Reynolds, Program Leader for the Department of Agriculture's Cooperative Programs in their Rural Development Division.

Vernon interviews RJ Taylor, Board Chair for Equal Exchange, and Sales representative based om Virginia. Vernon and RJ discuss the organizational structure of Equal Exchange, Fair Trade, the relevancy of being involved in a purpose driven business, and the concept of voting with your dollars.

Vernon interviews Beth Ann Caspersen, Quality Control Manager at the Equal Exchange Cooperative. She is a sensory specialist and manages Equal Exchange's coffee quality from the point of origin through to the finished product. She has a B.A. in Anthropology from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, is a graduate of the Sensory Science and Consumer Testing certificate program at UC Davis and has been with Equal Exchange for more than 17 years.

Vernon Interviews Rodney North, Public Relations Manager for Equal Exchange, a 100+ person worker co-operative. Rodney joined Equal Exchange 19 years ago and has been a member of the co-op for 17 years. During this time the co-op has grown into a $55 million enterprise, best known for its Fair Trade coffee, tea & chocolate. North has held a variety of other roles within the co-op.

Vernon interviews Terry D. Simonette, President and CEO of Capital Impact Partners (CIP). Vernon and Terry discuss how CIP uses it's CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) Status to transforms underserved communities into strong, vibrant places of opportunity. Capital Impact Partners is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution which operates nationally to help underserved people build strong, vibrant communities. Mr. Simonette is responsible for the overall direction and execution of Capital Impact Partners strategic mission, financial management functions, and senior leadership development. While at Capital Impact Partners, he has promoted an insightful strategy that has steadily increased the size and scope of the organization. In addition to extensive community investment activities, under Mr. Simonette's stewardship, Capital Impact Partners has broadened its activities to include, nonprofit and cooperative capacity building, social innovation programs, and state and federal policy development. Throughout this expansion, Mr. Simonette has focused Capital Impact Partners' goals of escalating its tangible impact on the problems and issues of low-income communities across the country. To that end Capital Impact Partners has disbursed more than $2.0 billion in financial and development services to community-based organizations nationwide. To learn more about Capital Impact Partners visit www.capitalimpact.org/

Vernon and Judy discuss her involvement in the cooperative movement, trends in cooperative development, and how to effectively engage politicians in the cooperative movement. For over 40 years, Judy has been a champion for cooperative development, articulating a steady and unswerving vision about the power of cooperation, and persistently reminding cooperatives and cooperative institutions that they exist to empower people. Her incredible capacity as a strategist has resulted in cross-sectoral coalitions that have created critical infrastructure for the co-op community domestically and internationally. Ziewacz was instrumental in launching the nation's first statewide cooperative development center - now known as Cooperative Development Services. She also played a key role in establishing CooperationWorks!, a national cooperative development network, which is responsible for the creation of hundreds of co-ops, thousands of jobs, and serving hundreds of thousands of members. As the Executive Director of the Cooperative Development Foundation, she led the charge for the creation of dotCoop, an important branding tool for cooperatives in the internet age.

Vernon interviews John Holdsclaw, Senior VP of Corporate Affairs at National Cooperative Bank (NCB). Vernon and John discuss the role NCB has played in building communities, and the tools that are used to sustain them. They also discuss many examples of how cooperatives were used to solve community problems by empowering the community within to create cooperatives, and take control of their destiny. Mr. Holdsclaw is NCB's first senior vice president of corporate affairs. He is charged with the development of new bank relationships and management of the bank's existing affiliations with Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs). He also promotes and advances social investment opportunities within the philanthropic arena and in product development, furthering NCB's commitment to mission banking. Prior to joining NCB, Mr. Holdsclaw served as the Director of Policy Development for Capital Impact Partners, a strategic partner of NCB. As Director of Policy at Capital Impact Partners, he was instrumental in the development and implementation of its government relations program and building a respected brand with other CDFIs.

Vernon interviews Doug O'Brien, Senior Policy Advisor for Rural Affairs, for the White House Domestic Policy Council. Vernon and Doug discuss marketing cooperatives, the impact cooperatives have had in Rural America, and other initiatives of the Policy Council. Doug O'Brien has served as the Senior Policy Advisor for Rural Affairs since January 2015. Before that time and since March of 2009, O'Brien served in a number of leadership capacities at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including as the Acting Under Secretary for the Rural Development Mission Area. At the White House, he helps lead the work of the White House Rural Council, which President Obama created in 2011 to encourage interagency cooperation and improve the effectiveness of federal programs in rural areas. Recently, the Council announced Rural Impact, an effort focused on rural child poverty. This work builds on O'Brien's leadership in rural community economic development that has focused on both emerging opportunities and in impoverished areas. Prior to serving in the Obama Administration, he worked for two State governors, the Senate Agricultural Committee, the U.S. House of Representatives, and in legal academia as a professor and author. O'Brien has degrees from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, the University of Iowa Law School, and a Masters in Law from the University of Arkansas. He was raised on a diversified farm in Iowa and has dedicated his career to food and rural policy.

Papa Sene has been serving with NCBA CLUSA for three decades, but has a life’s history of accomplishments in the cooperative movement and their impact on development. Sene grew up in Naikhar, Senegal, where cooperating was a natural way of life. Throughout his life, he shared, taught, enhanced, and finally globalized the values and practicality of cooperatives everywhere he went. He began spreading the message of cooperating in the Boy Scouts, but moved outside of scouting when he led a transformative co-op housing movement in Dakar in the 1960s. Sene began with CLUSA as a consultant, eventually leading the design of the “CLUSA Approach,” a method which has been used across sectors and around the world. This approach has since been applied to natural resource management, community health, and governance strengthening. During his 30 years with NCBA CLUSA, Sene has been recognized by USAID and the World Bank for his achievements. He has also written several books and received numerous awards.

Vernon Oakes reviews the Democratic Debate and compares the principles and positions that were discussed with the seven core cooperative principles.

Vernon Oakes, host of Everything Co-op, interviews Hugh B. Price, Civil Rights Leader, Attorney, Author and Foundation Executive. Vernon and Hugh discuss his autobiography, and how the cooperative principles were interwoven throughout his family history. Hugh B. Price is a long-time civil rights leader, activist and public intellectual. As president of the National Urban League from 1994 to 2003, he launched the League's historic Campaign for African-American Achievement, spearheaded pressure on the federal government to combat police brutality and racial profiling, vigorously defended affirmative action, and helped repair frayed relations between the black and Jewish communities. He has been an editorial writer for the New York Times, senior vice president in charge of national production at WNET/Thirteen in New York City, and vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation. Recently Prince released his reflective autobiography, This African American Life (Blair, 2017). His numerous television appearances range from Meet the Press and The Newshour with Jim Lehrer to Charlie Rose and The O'Reilly Factor. Price is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the American Philosophical Society. In the Fall of 2012 he taught a class at Princeton University, "Innovations in Urban Economic Development: Potential of Worker Cooperatives for Revitalizing Inner Cities and Reducing Poverty." He continues to be fascinated by how the cooperative business model is being used today.

Vernon Interviews Campbell C. Johnson III, Chair of the Urban Housing Alliance, (UHA). Vernon and Campbell discuss how UHA provides assistance to help DC residents address issues related to gentrification, and the rising cost of owning property in Washington DC. Urban Housing Alliance (UHA) is a community-based, non-profit organization that implements a range of educational advocacy, services and programs to fight displacement of low and moderate income residents, improve their quality of life, and to foster economic development that uplifts this community and its constituents (families, youth, elderly, and special needs). The core belief, obligation and pledge of UHA is: "Economic development should uplift a community, it should not and must not uproot its residents".

John Torres, VP of Communication and Public Relations for the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International is interviewed on Everything Co-op. Vernon and John discuss the Co-op Festival, 2017 Co-op Impact Conference, and other initiatives being sponsored by NCBA/CLUSA. John Torres serves as the Vice President of Communication and Public Relations for the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA), an organization that serves as the primary voice in the U.S. for people who use cooperatives to build a better world. NCBA CLUSA provides cross-sector education, support, and advocacy that helps co-ops thrive, with an international development portfolio of over $48 million in active programs in 20 countries. John is a proven strategic communicator with more than 20 years of experience in corporate communication planning and development, crisis communication, and multimedia and social content development. An experienced traveler, John has worked in multi-cultural environments conducting various communication efforts in more than 30 countries. John holds an under graduate degree in Communication.

Vernon and Dr. Hoyt discuss the influence Women have had within the cooperative movement; organizations and resources available to help cooperative startups, and how women have used cooperatives to solve community problems. Hoyt is an internationally known expert on cooperatives, who began her distinguished career in the 1960s as a member of the Berkley Consumer Food Co-op. Her academic interest in cooperatives took root in graduate school at University of California at Davis, where her Master's Thesis focused on the Consumer Cooperative of Sacramento. Always active in the national food cooperatives, Ann began her 25 year directorship of the annual Consumer Cooperative Management Association (CCMA) in 1988. Her love of teaching led to work in board education and governance, and the launch of an intensive education program for food cooperative managers, the Cooperative Management Institute (CMI). She has trained several thousand cooperative and non-profit directors and managers throughout the country and is the creator of a video-based director training program for cooperatives. Hoyt is the recipient of the 2014 Cooperative Service Award from CCMA and the Howard Bowers Fund. Currently Dr. Hoyt is Board President of Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin.

As we continue our celebration of Women's History Month, and focus on the theme of Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business, we pay tribute to an advocate who is a true trailblazer Ms. Elizabeth (Liz) Bailey. Vernon and Ms. Bailey discuss the role women have played in the "herstory" of cooperative movement, and in the facets of the movement that she has personally been involved with. Liz Bailey is Managing Principal of The Bailey Group LLC, a Washington DC-based consulting firm focused on economic and community development that includes member-owned cooperative business enterprises. Ms. Bailey provides her clients the benefit of her career experience in strategic public policy that combines the private sector, the executive branches of state and federal governments and extensive non-profit program management. For much of the past decade, Ms. Bailey held leadership positions with the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International, including Interim CEO, VP for Public Policy & Cooperative Development and almost eight years as Executive Director of the Cooperative Development Foundation, NCBA CLUSA's non-profit affiliate. Bailey holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. About The Bailey Group LLC A Washington DC-based public policy consulting group focused on economic and community development that includes cooperative business enterprises. Client work includes design and implementation of strategic policy and communications initiatives that raise the profile of the cooperative model, address barriers to development and encourage new applications of the business model.

Vernon discusses the relationship between Spirituality and Cooperatives

Vernon and Daniel discussed his involvement in the cooperative movement, the reform of the farm credit system, and the Cooperative Hall of Fame. Daniel T. Kelley is the owner and operator of Kelley Farms, a diversified corn and soybean operation in Normal, Illinois. He is an authentic leader and champion of cooperative development, who has spent more than three decades serving the cooperative sector. Most recently, he retired as board chairman and president of the agriculture supply cooperative GROWMARK, Inc. Kelley's roots in the cooperative movement began in 1970 when, as a full-time farmer, he joined his local cooperative, Evergreen FS. He later served as president of the organization from 1985 to 2008. In the 1980s, Kelley shouldered efforts to reform the Farm Credit Banks, creating a foundation for success that the Farm Credit System, its member-owners and rural communities enjoy today. Over his career Kelley has served on many cooperative boards. He is currently on the board of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, CoBank and Illinois Agriculture Leadership Foundation, which he chairs.