Everything Co-op With Vernon Oakes

Dr. Nina Banks is Associate Professor of Economics at Bucknell University and president of the National Economic Association (NEA). Her publications focus on social reproduction and migrant households, Black women and work, and the economics of the first Black economist in the U.S. - Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander. Professor Banks teaches courses on U.S. women's economic history, gender and migration, and poverty in the U.S. Dr. Banks serves on the Board of Directors of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) and the Editorial Board of The Review of Black Political Economy. She is the Faculty Director of Bucknell in Ghana, and the university’s Academic Director for the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty. Professor Banks received her doctorate in economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Professor Banks is working on several book projects including a biography of Sadie T.M. Alexander and an edited volume Democracy, Race, and Justice: Select Speeches and Writings of Sadie T.M. Alexande

Sara Horowitz discusses her book "Mutualism: Building the Next Economy from the Ground Up." Sara Horowitz is the founder of the Freelancers Union and the Freelancers Insurance Company. Formerly chair of the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Horowitz is a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and has been featured on NPR and in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic, among other publications. A lifelong mutualist, she lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and daughter. In her recently released book Mutualism: Building the Next Economy from the Ground Up, Sara takes a profound look at the crisis of work and the collapse of the safety net, and gives a vision for a better way forward, rooted in America’s cooperative spirit. She brings us a solution to the current crisis of work that’s rooted in the best of American traditions, which she calls mutualism. If you are looking for a new way to build collaboratively, create the new American social contract, and prosper in t

Community Advocate Christie Gardner talks about her life of advocacy, and the Community Grocery Cooperative for East of the River, and other initiatives. Christie Gardner is advocate for community justice and equity – racial, social, economic, and health. Born in Kinston, NC, her family moved to Washington, DC when she was an infant. She attended Aiton Elementary, Kelly Miller Junior High School, and HD Woodson Senior High School’s Art Program, where she specialized in sketching and sculpturing. This work led to a subsequent scholarship and matriculation at American University. She has worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Now a senior citizen with a disability, and domestic violence survivor, her investment in her neighbors and the rights of others is demonstrated in her endless commitment to advocacy. Recently, Christie was nominated for GOODProject’s Black Justice Fellowship out of 4,000 entries for her contributions to the community. Christie is a founding board member of the Douglass Community Land

Renee Hatcher, JD discusses the Solidarity Economy and Community Enterprise. As Director of the Community Enterprise and Solidarity Economy Institute, Renee Hatcher challenges listeners to reimagine institutions in a way that fulfills ones humanity. Renee Hatcher is a human rights and community development lawyer. She is an Assistant Professor of Law, and the Director of the Community Enterprise & Solidarity Economy Clinic at UIC John Marshall Law School Chicago The legal clinic provides free legal support to cooperatives, community-based institutions, and other types of solidarity economy initiatives and projects. The framework of Hatcher’s scholarship and legal practice operates under the solidarity economy theory. In many ways, the work she does elevates “the good news” and not “just the resist work,” she adds. This can look like people organizing around worker cooperatives, building innovative enterprises or using bartering services or time-banking, for example, to address worker exploitation. Hatcher

Dr. Douglas Rushkoff, author and educator discusses economic "cooporativism" and circular economics. Dr. Rushkoff sets the premise that if the rest of the Country replicated many of the economic strategies used in Black communities, we could resolve many of the challenges being faced. Winner of the Media Ecology Association’s first Neil Postman award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity, Dr. Douglas Rushkoff is an author, teacher, and documentarian who focuses on the ways people, cultures, and institutions create, share, and influence each other’s values. He is Professor of Media Theory and Digital Economics at CUNY/Queens, where he founded the Laboratory for Digital Humanism. He is a columnist for Medium, technology and media commentator for CNN, a research fellow at the Institute for the Future, and a lecturer on media, technology, culture and economics around the world. His new book, a manifesto called Team Human, calls for the retrieval of human autonomy in a digital age. Prior to tha

Allen Edson, President of the Pasadena Branch of the NAACP, discusses the history, objectives, Initiatives of the branch, as related to the 2021 Black History Month theme: "Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity." For 15 years Allen worked in the Aerospace industry with the majority of those years working for Lockheed California company. He also worked 20 plus years in non-profit management with a interest in Environmental Justice. Alan developed this interest and formed his own Environmental Remediation Company. In 2006 his company was awarded the "Emerging Business of the Year" award in San Francisco. Currently Allen serves as the President of the Pasadena Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Allen is a Pasadena native. He attended Pasadena public schools, Pasedena City College, and earned a BA in Economics from UC Berkeley. Allen is the father of three, Ishmael, Khali, and Nadira.

Niki Okuk, Downtown Crenshaw Board Chair, and Damien Goodmon, Downtown Crenshaw Board Member, discuss plans for the acquisition and redevelopment Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. The historic Crenshaw Mall being acquired through Downtown Crenshaw Rising, a community nonprofit established to purchase and redevelop the mall. Downtown Crenshaw plans to reinvent the mall as an “urban village.” The 40-acre site will be used to create worker owned businesses, community space, cooperative housing and much more. Niki Okuk attended Audubon Middle school in South LA and went on to complete her degree in Economics at Columbia University, a Masters from the Nanyang University in Singapore, and a certificate in Sustainability at MIT Sloan School of Business before returning home to start a green-collar business in Compton. Rco Tires existed for nearly a decade as an example of black woman owned small business, employing dozens of formerly incarcerated community members, recycling millions of pounds of tire rubber into new p

Trevor Claiborn Sr., is a 4-H Cooperative Extension Assistant at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky. An avid Agriculturist, and co-founder of "Black Soil: Our Better Nature," throughout his career he has continuously sought ways to use lessons in agriculture to connect generations. Trevor is also an author, musician, environmental educator, youth program director, and public speaker. In 2017 Trevor and Ashley C. Smith co-founded Black Soil: Our Better Nature to help reconnect Black Kentuckians to their heritage and legacy in agriculture. Black Soil fosters the next generation of Kentucky Black farmers and chefs, and leads efforts to address racialized disparities and barriers. In 2015 while earning his B.S. in Agriculture, Food, and Environment at Kentucky State University Land Grant College, Mr. Claiborn created and developed “Farmer Brown Tha MC.” He used this platform to deliver presentations about agriculture, diversification of agricultural and STEM fields, and to deliver creative youth e

Hugh Jeffers, VP of Origination at Centennial Mortgage Vets a Live Pitch for funding From Jacqueline Rivera of Hope Housing, moderated by Everything Co-op host, Vernon Oakes. They discuss the necessary steps to secure support from HUD to develop limited Equity Housing and worker cooperatives in Baltimore, and the necessary components of an impressive concept package for such a project. Hugh Jeffers is responsible for originating new business. He has 25 years of experience originating FHA loans. Hugh's expertise is in cooperative housing, and he serves on the board of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives. Prior to Centennial, he worked for Love Funding, Bellwether Enterprise, Arbor Commercial Mortgage and managed the affordable housing team at the National Cooperative Bank. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College, and a master’s degree from NYU’s Stern School of Business. Jacqueline Rivera is a mother of four, and owner and CEO of JBM Construction Development Group in Baltimore, Maryl

CEO Curtis Wynn, President of NRECA's Board of Directors discusses the five pandemics facing the US, and how the electric co-op industry is managing change and innovation. Curtis Wynn is President & CEO of Roanoke Electric Cooperative. With nearly 42 years of experience in the electric cooperative industry, Curtis began his career at West Florida Electric Cooperative. He has served on the NRECA Board of Directors since 2007, where he is entering his last year as Board President. A graduate of Troy University, Curtis holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration and management information systems. Curtis has led numerous movements at his co-op from the introduction of broadband service to new demand response capabilities. Under his leadership, Roanoke Electric has been a two-time recipient of NRECA’s Community Service Network Award, and Curtis is a past winner of the J. C. Brown Leadership Award. This year Curtis Wynn is coming to the end of his two-year term as NRECA President. When he took office

Shirley Sherrod, Executive Director of the Southwest Georgia Project for Community Education discusses her life-long experiences as an advocate for farmers, the outcomes of the Georgia runoff elections, and the successful work completed by the Southwest Georgia Project. Sherrod is quoted in an article that appeared in the Washington Post on Sunday, January 17, regarding Tom Vilsack’s nomination as agriculture secretary by the Biden Administration. She states: “He has to create a culture of racial and social justice across the agency to even begin to undo the harm that has occurred,” (see link Below) www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/01/14/vilsack-usda-black-farmers/ Shirley Sherrod is a Baker County Georgia native who grew up on her family’s farm. In March 1965, her father was murdered by a white farmer who was not prosecuted. The tragic murder of her father when she was 17 years old had a profound impact on her life and led to her decision to stay in the south to work for change. Shirley helped to st

Hugh Jeffers, Vice President of Origination at Centennial Mortgage, Inc. discusses the renewed interest in cooperative housing, and the National and Regional Resources being used to support them. Hugh Jeffers is responsible for originating new business. He has 25 years of experience originating FHA loans. His expertise is in cooperative housing, and he serves on the board of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives. Prior to Centennial, he worked for Love Funding, Bellwether Enterprise, Arbor Commercial Mortgage and managed the affordable housing team at the National Cooperative Bank. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College, and a master’s degree from NYU’s Stern School of Business.

Civil and Voting rights advocate Rev. Wendell H. Paris, discusses relationship between Cooperative and Voting Rights movements. Rev. Paris of Jackson, Mississippi, is one of the early foot soldiers of the Civil and Voting Rights Movements. Paris, was a founding member of the Tuskegee Advancement League (TIAL), a campus organization affiliated with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). In the 1960s he helped to register voters and participated in direct action campaigns in Alabama and Mississippi. After a record-breaking Presidential Election in November, amid unprecedented voter suppression tactics, Rev. Wendell H. Paris was reminded of rhetoric he heard during registration drives in Alabama and the Selma-to-Montgomery march. “Whenever you hear him say, ‘law and order,’ that’s coded language,” said Paris. “We have reverted back to the racial situation of the 1950s and the 1960s.” Rev. Paris also discussed the importance of the run-off elections in Georgia, and the impact the outcome of the

Vernon interviews John Zippert, former Director of Program Operations for the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund. Vernon and John discuss his career with the Federation, the interconnectedness of the cooperative and political movements, and the importance of the two runoff elections for the U.S. Senate in Georgia. 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, coop

Maurice Smith, CEO of Local Government Federal Credit Union (LCFCU), and Civic FCU; and Chairman of the Board of Directors at National Cooperative Bank, discusses his book "Sowing Seeds: Life Lessons From My Father". Smith shares how the life lessons his father taught him has impacted his career, and shaped his life. Maurice Smith is the CEO of Local Government Federal Credit Union (LCFCU), and Civic FCU. Both are financial cooperatives serving the financial needs of employees, appointed officials, elected officeholders and volunteers of local governments in North Carolina. Smith began his career in financial services as a loan officer for State Employees’ Credit Union, and has served in several capacities including vice-president/ city executive and vice-president of marketing/training. He joined LGFCU in 1992 as the Executive Vice President and was promoted to President in 1999 and later CEO. Smith is a self-proclaimed cooperative nerd. He believes that a business model that empowers its members to engag

Dr. John A. McNamara, Senior Cooperative Development Specialist at Northwest Cooperative Development Center, discusses Cooperative development, and Co-op Metrics. John joined NWCDC in the Spring of 2014. Prior to coming to NWCDC John garnered 26 years of practical experience in the worker cooperative world with Union Cab of Madison. John holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration and a Masters in Management: Cooperative and Credit Unions, from Saint Mary’s University (Halifax). As a student researcher, and assisted in the development of the Co-op Index Report, a tool for measuring co-ops against the values and principles of cooperation. John also taught a summer course on worker cooperatives at The Evergreen State College (2014-2018) and at Presidio Graduate School in their Cooperative Management Certificate program. He co-edited a collection of essays on measuring co-operatives available as an e-book at no cost from the Cooperative Difference. John also serves as Chair of the Union-Coops Council of the US Fe

Ron Hantz, Board President of the Network for Developing Conscious Communities (NDCC discusses place based private capital and philanthropic foundation giving strategies that support BIPOC equitable community development. Hantz has more than 28 years of experience in the development of affordable housing. After careful reflection upon his many years of experience he said, "Our ultimate goal should be to learn how to replicate best practices, how to develop indigenous leadership and how to build collaborative community based partnerships. He further states, "In many urban communities and neighborhoods throughout America, we need to reexamine our approach and strategies to community development." The Network for Developing Conscious Communities was founded 2014 as a 501 © (3) non-profit community development membership organization. Through implementing principles of conscious community development, the organization seeks to build economically cooperative and equitable communities through transparency

Barry Silver, President/CEO of Coop Equity, LLC, and Sarah Smith, of the Associated Milk Producers Incorporated (AMPI), discuss the NCB Co-op 100®, a listing of the nation’s top 100 revenue-earning cooperative businesses. Barry has been at the forefront of producing the list since its inception. Sarah grew up on a dairy farm and now she serves as a communications specialist at a dairy farm. Together they discuss the value and benefits of NCB's Co-op 100®. As President and CEO of Coop Equity, LLC Silver provides international financial and cooperative consulting. His consulting work includes involvement in lending, credit, product development and portfolio management; at the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), he provides cooperative and finance consulting for a $2 billion project, to include establishment of farm co-ops bringing farm production to market; lastly at the US Agency for International Development (USAID)/ACDI-VOCA) he consults with agricultural, coffee and cacao c

Mo Manklang, Policy Director at the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives discusses findings of the Federation's survey, "Worker Co-ops: Weathering The Storm of COVID-19 and Beyond," and how those those findings will shape the work ahead toward building a stronger economy. As Policy Director, Mo Manklang leads policy efforts at the federal level, works with its membership on state and local initiatives, and heads up health benefits initiatives. She has been convening people in cooperatives and social impact for the past twelve years in a variety of roles, including five years with local news and events group Generocity.org. Mo is a founding board member of the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance, the Media and Marketing Committee of the Kensington Community Food Co-op, the Policy Committee of the Sustainable Business Network. She is also the co-founder and organizer of The Bechdel Test Fest, an annual festival highlighting women and transgender comedians in Philadelphia.

John Holdsclaw IV, Executive VP of Strategic Initiatives at National Cooperative Bank discusses the state of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Cooperative Movement with host Vernon Oakes. During NCBA CLUSA International’s recent IMPACT Conference, Mr. Holdsclaw moderated a session entitled "Cooperatives Can Advance DEI: Lessons, Issues and Ways Forward." John shares strategies panelist shared during the session of the concrete steps needed to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in our cooperative movement. John Holdsclaw is NCB's Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. John is charged with establishing NCB as a thought leader in community development and cooperative expansion that leads to business development and solutions. He also promotes and advances social investment opportunities within the philanthropic arena and in product development, furthering NCB's commitment to mission banking. Earlier this year John was named Chair of the Board of Directors of the Coalition of Community De