Everything Co-op With Vernon Oakes

Vernon Oakes, Host of Everything Co-op, Interviews Janis Hazel, ANC Commissioner and Director of Communications for Washington, D.C. Councilmember, Vincent Gray. Vernon and Janis discuss legislation introduced by Councilmember Gray, and how cooperatives can help to advance his agenda. Janis is serving a third term as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC 7D05) in Ward 7 of Washington, DC. She is the Director of Communications for Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent C. Gray and has served as Director of Communications in the Executive Office of the Mayor. She was appointed by the Obama Administration to manage the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census Decennial operations for the District of Columbia’s 2010 Census and has served as the Director of Development and Communications for Howard University Television (WHUT-TV). A native of Detroit, MI and a political science major at the University of Michigan, she began her career in public policy with Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm (NY), and later worked f

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

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 presi

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

Vernon and Doug discuss the programs, resources and events offered through NCBA/CLUSA. They also so discuss efforts to establish a food cooperative in Washington, DC's Wards 7 and 8, and resources that are available to assist groups with starting food cooperatives. They rounded out the show with a discussion about the work that is being done through the CLUSA International arm of the organization. Doug O'Brien serves as Executive Vice President for Programs at NCBA CLUSA, where he works with the cooperative community, both domestically and internationally, to deepen its impact on individuals and communities. NCBA is the primary voice for cooperatives in the United States for using the cooperative business model to empower people in their businesses and communities. Before coming to NCBA CLUSA, Doug led the work of the White House Rural Council and served in top positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, an organization with over 40 programs and 5000 employees that annually finances mor

Vernon and Michael discuss his White Paper, "MRAGA" - Make Rural America Great Again: An Infrastructure Road-Map for Rural America's High-Road Institutional Stewards. 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 building a national network of unionized worker-owned cooperative businesses to overcome opportunity, mobility

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 th

Vernon Oakes and Ms. Haynes discussed her life work and experiences as a leader in the cooperative movement, and how Faith Community United Credit Union changed lives and addressed so many community problems during her tenure. Rita Haynes dedicated her nearly 60-year career to serving the financial needs of disadvantaged communities in Cleveland, Ohio. Her innovations transformed the credit union industry with the development of products to combat predatory lending and harnessed financial resources to support community development. Rita is recognized for serving over fifty years as director, manager, treasurer and CEO of Faith Community United Credit Union, Cleveland, Ohio. Through vision, collaboration and sheer grit, Rita led the transformation of a small credit union operating out of a church basement, into a 6000-member financial institution with $12 million in assets, all the while never losing sight of the financial needs of the credit union's low income members and their communities. A pioneer in faith

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 & Cooperativ

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 Arizmend

Vernon interviews LaKeisha Wolf, Executive Director of Ujamaa Collective. Vernon and LaKeisha discuss her role as a leader in the cooperative movement; the evolution of Ujamaa Collective; and her development as a leader in the cooperative movement. As a first-generation Pittsburgher, LaKeisha Wolf has developed her roots across the community working at the intersection of social justice, arts, culture and entrepreneurship. She is a founding member of the Hill District based non-profit Ujamaa Collective, serving as Executive Director since 2013. In this role, LaKeisha focuses on the business affairs and cooperative development of emerging Africana women-owned craft industries. She has over 15 years' experience in community, organizational and leadership development, consulting with numerous organizations including Sankofa Community Empowerment, Inc., Community Human Services Corporation, The Legacy Arts Project, Inc., and the Alliance for Police Accountability. LaKeisha holds a Bachelor's Degree in Communicati

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 Vir

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 re

Monica Rainge, Esq, Director of Land Retention & Advocacy for The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund is interviewed by host of Everything Co-op, Vernon Oakes. Vernon and Monica discuss Heir Property, and the services that are provided through the Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Assistance Fund (FSC/LAF) to help to retain, and regain land in the communities it represents. Monica A. Rainge, an agricultural lawyer, serves as the Director of Land Retention and Advocacy for The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/ Land Assistance Fund. Attorney Rainge leads the development and implementation of regional land retention and advocacy initiatives which support and advance the membership of FSC/LAF. She has worked in the public and private agricultural sectors for over 20 years, and previously served as the Florida State Coordinator for The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund. Attorney Rainge directs the Federation's Regional Heirs Property Center. This center was cre

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 Nikki Thompson and Judy Davis, Managers of GLUT Food Cooperative Vernon interviews Judy, a manager at GLUT Food Co-op. Vernon and Judy will discuss the structure of the cooperative, the value it brings to the community, and the area of the store she manages. Judy has been managing the Health and Beauty section of the store for more than 35 years. She orders everything from Essential Oils, Shea butter and Zuresh body cleansers to shampoo and Eco-friendly household cleaners. Nikki has been around Glut for a while. She orders a wide variety of snacks, cookies, crackers, pasta (including bulk pasta), chocolate, cereal, and packaged grains and mixes. Her section has a large number of flavors and options that our customers like, which are rotated depending price variations. Judy is joined by 11 other collective members each of whom manages a different section of the store. GLUT is a not-for-profit charitable trust, democratically managed by a collective. However, everyone is welcome to shop at GLU

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 A

Vernon Interviews Paul Hazen, Executive Director, U.S. Overseas Cooperative Development Council. Vernon and Paul discuss his career in the cooperative movement; the Community Purchasing Alliance, and how OCDC brings together organizations committed to building a more prosperous world through cooperatives. Paul Hazen became executive director of the Overseas Cooperative Development Council in February 2012. Previously, he represented one of the member organizations and served as OCDC's board chair and as a board member. One of his most-recent initiatives with OCDC is the formation of its Research Group, whose mission is to research, formulate and share effective strategies for the development, performance and growth of cooperatives in developing countries. Throughout his career, Hazen has championed the U.S. cooperative system, which encompasses 29,000 co-ops; generates $654 billion in revenue; and creates more than two million jobs, representing $75 billion in wages and benefits. U.S. co-ops include Ace Hardw

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.

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