Everything Co-op With Vernon Oakes

April 27, 2023 This week Vernon continues his discussion of "Humanity@Work&life-Global Diffusion of the Mondragon Cooperative Ecosystem Experience,” with an interview of contributing author, John Holdsclaw IV, President and CEO of Rochdale Capital. Vernon and John discuss the challenges and opportunities of financing worker cooperatives, and new initiatives of Rochdale Capital. John Holdsclaw IV currently serves as president and CEO of Rochdale Capital, a newly formed, national non-profit community development loan fund that provides financing and technical assistance to cooperative enterprises and other community-based organizations. Rochdale Capital focuses on making financial services accessible to under-resourced communities, specifically to women and/or minority-owned small and growing businesses. John currently serves on the board of directors of Global Communities, Groundswell, Partners for Common Good, and American Bankers Association (ABA) Stonier Graduate School of Banking. In addition, John is the

April 13, 2023 Michael Alden Peck, Co-founder/Executive Director of 1worker1vote, and Co-editor of "Humanity@Work&life-Global Diffusion of the Mondragon Cooperative Ecosystem Experience,” and contributing author, Sara Horowitz. Michael and Sara will give an overview of the book, discuss the Build Mutualism and Humanity@Work&life campaigns, and explore next steps on the pathway to the greater common good. Michael Peck serves as executive director and cofounder of 1worker1vote. Emerging from the October 2009 collaboration MOU between the United Steelworkers and Mondragon International, 1worker1vote serves as fiscal sponsor for the 2022-2023 Build Mutualism Campaign. Peck is also co-founder and managing director of a second for-profit start-up, The Virtuous Cycle Collaboratory, a majority-minority worker cooperative and social enterprise (mission: to “flatten unequal socioeconomic curves into shared prosperity virtuous cycles”). Michael is a board member for the American Sustainable Business Network, and was

April 20, 2023 Everything Co-op continues its coverage of "Humanity@Work&life-Global Diffusion of the Mondragon Cooperative Ecosystem Experience,” with co-editor Christina Clamp, Director of the Center for Co-operatives & Community Economic Development, and contributing author, Terry Lewis, CFO at the Center for Community Based Enterprise. Christina gives an overview of the book, and Terry discusses her experience of Building Mondragon in Detroit. Christina Clamp is the Director of the Center for Co-operatives and Economic Development, and has over 40 years of teaching experience at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), as a professor of Sociology. She is also a consulting researcher on a national study of catalyzing community wealth with the American Sustainable Business Network. Nationally and internationally recognized for her work in the study and promotion of cooperative ownership of businesses, Christina has been actively involved in promoting the study of cooperatives since her dissertation, whic

November 3, 2022 John Holdsclaw IV, President and CEO of Rochdale Capital, discusses the founding of Rochdale Capital, the influence of Chuck Snyder and the mission and initiatives of Rochdale Capital. John Holdsclaw IV currently serves as president and CEO of Rochdale Capital, a newly formed, national non-profit community development loan fund that provides financing and technical assistance to cooperative enterprises and other community-based organizations. Rochdale Capital will focus on making financial services accessible to under-resourced communities, specifically to women and/or minority-owned small and growing businesses. Mr. Holdsclaw currently serves on the board of directors of Global Communities, Groundswell, Partners for Common Good, and American Bankers Association (ABA) Stonier Graduate School of Banking. In addition, John is the immediate past president of the Community Development Financial Institution Coalition (CDFI Coalition), and immediate past chair of ABA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclu

March, 30, 2023 Everything Co-op concludes its Commemoration of Women's History month with Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Ph.D., Professor at John Jay College, and social justice advocate. Dr. Nembhard discusses Black women's contributions to the co-op movement, and the Cooperative Development Fund's 2023 Unsung Heroes Inductee, Halena Wilson. Author of Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice (2014) and 2016 inductee into the U.S. Cooperative Hall of Fame, Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Ph.D., is a Professor at John Jay College, City University of NY. She is a political economist specializing in cooperative economics, community economic development, racial wealth inequality, Black Political Economy. She is a member of the Cooperative Economics Council of NCBA/CLUSA; the ICA Committee on Co-operative Research; an affiliate scholar with the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, University of Saskatchewan; and past board member of Association of Cooperative Educators.

December 1, 2022 Jason Wiener, Principal of Jason Wiener|p.c., and co-founder of the Colorado Cooperative Developers discusses employee ownership in Colorado. Jason is the Principal of a boutique law and business consulting practice and co-founder of “Colorado Cooperative Developers”. Jason's specialty is in cooperative law, shared ownership models, cooperative finance, regenerative capital and financing strategies, sustainable economies law, teal lawyering, virtual outside general counsel, and worker-ownership. Jason has advised on more than a dozen worker-cooperative conversions, several multi-stakeholder ownership conversions, and more than a dozen platform cooperatives. Jason has also advised numerous clients through socially responsible financings, including through membership capital campaigns, private offerings, and qualified intrastate public offerings. Jason holds a B.S. from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and a J.D. cum laude from Suffolk University Law School, wher

March 23. 2023 Everything Co-op closes its commemoration of Women's History Month with an interview of Stacey Sutton Ph.D., Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago. Dr. Sutton and Vernon discuss her new body of cooperative city research, "Real Black Utopias," where she examines the infrastructure and ideology of Black-led cooperatives and solidarity economy ecosystems in multiple cities. Stacey Sutton is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago in the Department of Urban Planning and Policy. Dr. Sutton Co-Directs the Solidarity Economy Research, Policy & Law Project and serves as the interim Director of UIC’s Social Justice Initiative. Her research focuses on solidarity economy, prefigurative politics, economic democracy and worker-owned cooperatives, racial equity, and disparate effects of place-based city policies. For the next two years, the Solidarity Economy Research, Policy & Law Project will serve as the ‘hub’ for the City of Chicago’s $15 million dollar Community

March 16, 2023 Everything Co-op continues its commemoration of Women's History Month, with an interview of Deb Trocha, Executive Director at Indiana Cooperative Development Center. Deb and Vernon will discuss the upcoming Housing Co-op Conference, and how the Co-op model can be used to address the current housing crisis. The hybrid conference is Free and will be held March 31, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. Visit ICDC.coop for more information. Deb Trocha joined the Indiana Cooperative Development Center (ICDC) in 2006 after serving as Executive Director of the Indiana Small Business Development Center. During that time, she has worked with many different types of cooperatives, from food co-ops and food hubs, to housing, artists, agriculture, and early childhood education. She is committed to increasing awareness of cooperatives and is passionate about the cooperative business model’s ability to empower people and their communities. Under her leadership, ICDC promotes cooperatives as a vibrant model to address economic

March 9, 2023 Everything Co-op continues its commemoration of Women's History Month, with an interview of Dina Omar, founder of the Palestinian Soap Cooperative. Vernon and Dina discuss the rich history and heritage associated with Nablus soap. Dina is currently completing her doctorate degree at Yale University in Anthropology with a joint certification in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, she completed her undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley where she studied and taught with June Jordan’s Poetry for the People 2006 and 2010. Dina is also an activist/organizer. -She was a founder of National Students for Justice in Palestine and is currently an active member of the Palestinian Feminist Collective. To learn about the history of Nablus or to buy fragrance free pure olive oil soap and other accoutrements you can visit palestiniansoap.coop. The theme for Women's History Month is "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories." This theme recognizes "women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of

March 2, 2023 Everything Co-op kicked off its commemoration of Women's History Month with an interview of Andria Barrett, founding member of The Banker Ladies Council. Vernon and Andria discuss the evolution, history and practical use of ROSCAs (Rotating Savings and Credit Associations, and how they can support entrepernuership. Andria Barrett is a founding member of The Banker Ladies Council and is in a Partner Bank. She is a community activist from Canada and the founder of The Diversity Agency. Barrett’s focus is helping women-led entrepreneurs through mutual aid. She serves as a board member to the Culinary Tourism Alliance, HAGO (Help A Girl Out) and is a member of the Congress of Black Women. The Canadian SME named her one of the Most Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders two years in a row, and she was named the 2022 Rotman Family Entrepreneur of the Year. Andria is being mentored by Dr. Caroline Shenaz Hossein, Canada Research Chair, in Africana Development & Feminist Political Economy

February 23, 2023 Everything Co-op continues its commemoration of Black History Month with an interview of Attorney Renee C. Hatcher. Vernon and Renee discuss how she has used law as a vehicle of resistance. Renee Hatcher is a solidarity economy lawyer. She is an Assistant Professor of Law and the Director of the Community Enterprise and Solidarity Economy Law Clinic at UIC Law, a legal clinic that provides free legal support to grassroot organizations, cooperatives, and other solidarity economy enterprises. Daughter of the late civil rights activist and first elected Black mayor of a U.S. city, Richard Gordon Hatcher, Renee is committed to advancing the Black Freedom Movement through her work with co-ops and communities. Renee is a member of the leadership team for the Black Abolitionist Solidarity Economy (BASE) Fellowship, and a member of Law for Black Lives Movement Lawyering Squad. Renee also serves as a board member for the New Economy Coalition and the Detroit Justice Center. Prof. Hatcher is the Co

January 26, 2023 Floran Syler-Woods, Ph.D, Director of Finance at the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund (Federation), discusses the important role financial systems play in the success of organizations and businesses. She and Vernon also unravel the complexities of understanding the determinants of wealth. In the capacity of Director of Finance Dr. Syler-Woods serves as the direct supervisor of the corporate accounting staff and indirect supervisor of all field accountants at the Federation. Prior to coming to the Federation Dr. Syler-Woods had an illustrious career either as a partner in public accounting firms, or director of finance in several organizations and firms. Since 1967 the Federation has been successfully working to provide Black farmers, landowners, and cooperatives in the Southern region with cooperative development, land retention, and advocacy. The Federation is a member-owned and operated organization born out of the Civil Rights Movement to do the unique work of emp

February 16, 2023 Everything Co-op continues its commemoration of Black History Month with an interview of Pastor Keith Davis, President and CEO of the Camden Dream Center’s Technology Training School in Camden, New Jersey and Julian D. Miller, Esq., founding Executive Director of the Reuben V. Anderson Center for Justice, at Tougaloo College in Mississippi. Vernon and his guests will discuss Black Food Sovereignty. Reverend Keith Davis is a pastor and community leader, technologist, and thought leader in technology and workforce development. He is President and CEO of the Camden Dream Center’s Technology Training School, and co-chair of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Educations (NICE) working group to promote career discovery and multiple pathways to high-paying cybersecurity jobs. Julian D. Miller, Esq., is the founding Executive Director of the Reuben V. Anderson Center for Justice and the co-founding Director of the Reuben V. Anderson Institute for Social Justice at Tougaloo College in Missis

February 9, 2023 Everything Co-op continues it's celebration of Black History Month with an interview of Jennie L. Stephens Ph.D., CEO at the Center for Heirs' Property Preservation. Vernon and Dr. Stephens discuss how the Center provides legal education and direct legal services to help families obtain clear title to family land and learn how to make the land work for them, instead of working for the land. Dr. Jennie L. Stephens has been the Executive Director of the Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation since its inception in 2005. At the Center, she is responsible for overall strategic planning, revenue generation, financial & staff management, and program operations. Dr. Stephens has dedicated more than 25 years in the non-profit industry and is very passionate about building relationships with people who have experienced a history of abuse when it comes to their land and their rights. Jennie holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the College of Charleston, a master’s degree in Publi

February 2, 2023 This interview with Rev. Dr. Reginald Flynn, founder and President of North Flint Reinvestment Corporation, (NFRC) is the first installment of Everything Co-op's commemoration of Black History Month. The theme for Black History month 2023 is Black Resistance. The theme explores how “African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression, in all forms, especially the racial terrorism of lynching, racial profiling, and police killings.” Given the tumultuous times we are living in, our team felt that it would be soothing to begin our celebration of Black History Month with a spiritual leader, who preaches, promotes and practices the Nguzo Saba Kwanzaa principles Ujamaa, cooperative economics and Kujichagulia, self-determination. Rev. Dr. Flynn shares how he has used a (w)holistic approach to community economic development, and self-empowerment. Rev. Dr. Flynn is known as a visionary leader who is a vocal advocate for spiritual renewal, economic self-sufficiency, and political empowerm

January 19, 2023 Steve Dubb, Senior Editor of Economic Justice at NPQ. Steve and Vernon will discuss the upcoming webinar "Remaking the Economy: Black Food Sovereignty, Community Stories" (nonprofitquarterly.org) focusing on the interconnections between food sovereignty, racial and economic justice, and community building, and other initiatives of NPQ. Steve and Vernon discuss Black food sovereignty, the Tulsa Massacre, and the webinar series and other programming provided by NPQ.  Steve Dubb is senior editor of economic justice at NPQ, where he writes articles, and moderates Remaking the Economy webinars, and works to cultivate voices from the field, and help them reach a broader audience. Prior to coming to NPQ in 2017, Steve worked with cooperatives and nonprofits for over two decades, including twelve years at The Democracy Collaborative and three years as executive director of NASCO (North American Students of Cooperation). In his work, Steve has authored, co-authored, and edited numerous reports; parti

November 22, 2022 Vernon Oakes, host of Everything Co-op, shares information on the definition of a cooperatives, and the fundamentals of marketing. Vernon Oakes, is a consummate advocate for cooperatives. He is a Past President of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives, and he's served on several boards and committees to advance the interests of cooperatives. Recently, he served on the Limited Equity Cooperative Task Force, established by Anita Bonds, At-Large Member of the Council of the District of Columbia. Vernon is an MBA graduate of Stanford University, who has used his business acumen to benefit the community, by promoting the added value of the cooperative business model.

December 15, 2022 RL Condra and Vernon discuss how the Mid-term Election results might impact the cooperative landscape, and the importance of advocacy and how he became involved in the cooperative movement. As Senior VP of Government Affairs RL Condra is responsible for advocating for issues that directly impact NCB’s cooperative customer segments. Since joining NCB, he has advocated for cooperatives to have access to SBA lending programs, risk retention changes for cooperative housing, and the RCDG program for cooperative development centers. Mr. Condra serves as the advocacy chair for Cooperation Works, a national network of organizations and individuals working on co-op development and on the Inter-agency working group for cooperatives. In addition, he serves as Vice-Chair on the Consumer Federation of America Board of Directors, and is on the board of the Food Co-op Initiative. Prior to joining NCB, Mr. Condra was Vice President of Advocacy for the NCBA CLUSA and spent several years on Capitol Hill as a

September 22, 2022 John Zippert, former Director of Program Operations for the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund discusses his career in advocacy from a student working with CORE and SNCC to his work with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives. John Zippert served as the Director of Program Operations for the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund at their Rural Training and Research Center in Epes, Alabama, for 49 years from 1971-2018. He retired in December 2018 but continues to volunteer and serve as Program Director Emeritus for the Federation. Zippert has also 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. John has over 50 years’ experience in community organizing, cooperative and credit union development, community based economic develo

September 29, 2022 Everything Co-op continues its recognition of the 2022 Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductees. Vernon interviews Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Ph.D., Professor at John Jay College, and Ajowa Nzinga Ifateyo, Co Editor at Grassroots Economic Organizing. Both are also economic social justice advocates. Vernon and his guests will discuss the Unsung Cooperative Hero Award, and its first recipient Ella Jo Baker. Author of Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice (2014), and 2016 inductee into the U.S. Cooperative Hall of Fame, Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Ph.D., is a Professor at John Jay College, City University of NY. She is a political economist specializing in cooperative economics, community economic development, racial wealth inequality, Black Political Economy. She is a member of the Cooperative Economics Council of NCBA/CLUSA; the ICA Committee on Co-operative Research; an affiliate scholar with the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, University