Everything Co-op With Vernon Oakes

Courtney Berner, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, discusses the Center's cooperative development efforts with Host Vernon Oakes. She highlights: programs that are being used to help communities establish worker cooperatives to address succession planning; research efforts that are targeted to explore the many facets of cooperative governance; and conferences, roadshows and other techniques that are being used to educate the community about the cooperative model. Courtney joined the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives in 2011 and served as a cooperative development specialist until assuming the role of executive director in January 2018. Courtney develops research, outreach, and education programs on cooperatives and provides support to new and established cooperatives in a wide range of industries. Her areas of expertise include cooperative education, business development, cooperative finance and governance, and innovative uses of the cooperative model. Courtney also