SPEAKERS

Akil Talley

Akil has 20 years of grocery/retail experience and 13 years as a chef working commercial and restaurant kitchens. He has 13 years of retail leadership experience. He is a lifetime Detroit native and is the father of 4.

Alan Singer

My present position is as a healthy food financing loan officer with the Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF) located out of Boston, MA (www.leaffund.org). LEAF is a CDFI and a national lender to cooperatives. I share a deep belief that the commitment to provide for the greater common good is a value that can build bridges across the perceived divides including race, social class, gender identity and religious beliefs. The other passion I have is for community access to healthy food to be both a catalyst for positive social change and a commonality from which All can benefit. Over the years I have supported the groundwork development of farmers markets, community gardens, farms, food cooperatives, worker owned cooperatives and other community based businesses that share a common interest of benefiting the community. I believe that, when given the opportunity to have a shared common vision, “ordinary” people can work together to create greater community wealth, enhanced opportunity and empowerment.

Allanah Hines, Weaver Street Market

Allanah Hines holds the inaugural position of Chief Culture, Engagement, and Impact Officer at Weaver Street Market, she is a founding member of the Weaver Street Market E.Q.U.I.T.Y. Alliance (an acronym for: Empowering Quality Unification & Inverting the Tribulations of Yesteryear) and serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors. With over fifteen years of experience at Weaver Street Market, Allanah leverages the coop’s power and privilege to diversify the food supply. She organizes producers, partners, and organizations to make a significant impact on the food system and create sustainable change for food security. As a relationship manager, she overcomes structural obstacles in the regulatory system and creates pathways for retail brand ownership. Drawing from her lived experience as a Black cooperator, Allanah’s passion is to globally normalize nutritious food access as a basic right. Her work has expanded Weaver Street Market’s impact from its stores to the entire state of North Carolina. Outside of her cooperative work, Allanah enjoys spending time with family and friends and traveling the world. Her motto is: “What would you do if you could not fail?”

amaha sellassie

amaha sellassie is a afrofuturist, peace builder, social healer, freedom fighter, network weaver, student of cooperation and lover of humanity. He’s an Associate Professor of Sociology at Sinclair Community College in Dayton Ohio. amaha is a practitioner scholar and participatory action researcher dedicated towards building bridges of trust, healing historical wounds, and harnessing the unique gifts and talents of every human being as we press towards a just and equitable society. As the former chair of the Dayton Human Relations Council Board, his areas of interest include health and education equity, praxis, cooperative economic development, dismantling structural violence and getting the voice of marginalized communities into the center of public policy in order to emerge structures of belonging that acknowledge the dignity and worth of every human being. He is co-founder and board chair of the Gem City Market, a community driven effort to address food apartheid through a food coop dedicated to increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables within west Dayton. He is also a co-founder and co-ed of CO-OP Dayton a coop incubator that is guided by the Mondragon model towards building a Just Economy Ecosystem. Currently he is working towards his Ph. D. in Sociology at the University of Cincinnati with an emphasis on utilizing community based participatory action research (CBPAR) towards emerging health equity, co-creating opportunity and community transformation.

Angela Sayles

Angela currently serves on Collective Courage Fund governance committee which supports Black-Led food cooperatives and organizations through grant making for civic engagement and power building. She most recently held the position of CEO for the Little Africa Food Cooperative. She served as a mentor to the Food Systems Change Fellowship | Nourishing Power program facilitated by Case Western Reserve University. She advocates for local food systems and cooperatives lobbying and has worked with the Ag Noire Coalition and the National Cooperative Business Association. Angela’s work with National Black Food & Justice Alliance Market Study Group as Research Facilitator has produced a 40-page summary report on the topic of Rethinking Market Studies: Impacts for Black led Cooperatives. She is currently facilitating a series of workshops for the Coop Peer group for Q2 2024 and leading the important discussion on effective development models for food coops in Black communities. Angela was invited and participated in the Racism in the Food System convening hosted by Cornell University in March 2024. Angela hosted the United Nations parallel event focused on Innovation and Technology in Land and Food Rights for Global African Women at the 67th Commission on the Status of Women. She and her team participated in the upcoming African Food Systems Forum in September 2023 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania presenting primary research findings from the Financial Unity East Africa team on the Tanzania sunflower cooking oil sector. Angela is also the owner of the Unity Beverages brand.

Arlene Wilborn

Former general manager for the North Flint Food Market engaged a community on the importance of having a food co-op in our neighborhood, created excitement, built a volunteer group to help coordinate events, speaking engagements to promote the store, and created job descriptions to help identify your team. Worked with the construction and equipment teams to coordinate site visits and deliveries. As a Store Director of Meijer, oversaw all departments to ensure all areas were well stocked and merchandised in alignment with all standard processes. Directed a team of 5 lines leaders, 25 team leaders and 280+ team members to achieve excellence in customer engagement, securing a 100% rating on all mystery shopper audits due to consistent training. Accomplished annual sales of over $80M by recruiting and developing a top-performing staff, while also remaining within .01% of the labor budget. Promoted diversity and inclusion while maintaining a focus on strengthening the relationships between the leadership team and staff; also coordinated the hiring of top talent in the multi-generational workplace. Achieved a track record of meeting and exceeding performance expectations, including reducing overtime by 5% while decreasing the number of empty spaces on store shelves by 10%. Enforced food safety compliance with local, state, and Federal agencies as leader of the deli, produce, meat, bakery, and grocery departments, training and guiding a staff of six team leaders and 20+ team members. Protected consumer health through sanitation compliance and extensive attention to detail.

Bahni Turpin

A native of Pontiac Michigan, Bahni now plies her trade as an actress in Los Angeles where she is also an acclaimed narrator of audiobooks. Bahni Founded SoLA Food Co-op after moving to South Los Angeles and seeing the disparity in food availability there.

Ben Sandel

Ben Sandel is the founder of Ben Sandel Consulting, LLC and is also an owner of Columinate, Catalysts for Common Good. He provides leadership support to mission-driven organizations, designs and delivers in-person and online trainings, and guides and supports co-ops nationwide in raising millions of dollars for new stores, expansions, and startups. He is a consultant in Columinate’s Cooperative Board Leadership Development (CBLD) program. Before establishing his consulting practice, Ben was the board president and leader of the founding team of the Friendly City Food Co-op in Harrisonburg VA and served on the board of the Takoma Park-Silver Spring Co-op in Takoma Park MD.

Bijiibah Begaye

Bijiibah Begaye is the Executive Director of Cooperative Catalyst, where she helps to build generative partnerships, develop new co-op curriculum and training, and leads the organization’s work to organize and expand the organizations’ cooperative development and ecosystem-building efforts in communities across the Southwest. In addition to her work with Cooperative Catalyst, Bijiibah is proud to serve on Cooperation Works! board. Prior to joining the leadership team at Cooperative Catalyst, Bijiibah served as the Executive Director of Tse Ko Community Development Corporation and as a Program Director for the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension. In addition to her work experience, Bijiibah’s biggest influence comes from being raised in Coalmine Mesa on the Navajo Nation, where she and her family have managed Staggered Hearts Ranch for over 40 years

Bonnie Hudspeth

Bonnie Hudspeth is an Independent Consultant with Firebrand Cooperative. As an experienced community organizer, facilitator, and project manager, she brings over two decades of experience in the cooperative and non-profit sectors. She specializes in leadership, organizational, and systems development. She serves as Vice President for the Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, advancing community-based, cooperative, and democratically owned or managed enterprises across the Northeastern United States. For more than a decade, she led Co-operative Development for the Neighboring Food Co-operative Association, supporting the shared learning, innovation, and success of more than 45 food co-ops and startup initiatives across the Northeast. Prior to that, she was the project manager leading all pre-operational and membership development and fundraising to open Monadnock Food Co-op (2013) in Keene, New Hampshire. She’s all about cooperatives, mutual aid, and community ownership of all the essential things we need to thrive.

Brenda Haines

Brenda Haines is Co-founder/Consultant with Blue Door Consulting, an Oshkosh-based marketing consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations grow. From start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, Brenda has helped dozens of clients with brand, content marketing, web/digital projects that drive results. In her “real life”, Brenda uses a variety of marketing automation and technology tools. The co-op represents her first foray into NationBuilder. Brenda currently serves as Oshkosh Food Co-op Board President. She has used NationBuilder and other tools for planning the Oshkosh Food Co-op’s trademark Co-op Grow-op events.

Chris Dilley

Chris Dilley has been a cooperative grocery retail manager for over 20 years, nearly all of that at People’s Food Co-op of Kalamazoo, with a recent year-long stint at the store opening manager with Detroit People’s Food Co-op. He is passionate about the cooperative model, operational excellence, local food systems development, and equitable access for all. He now shares his experience with co-ops throughout the country, supporting start-ups and transitions of all types through Columinate. His goal is to make Michigan’s cooperative economy the strongest in the nation. He lives in Kalamazoo, MI, with his wife and son, and their pup, Cayanne. He enjoys reading science fiction, cooking new things, and long walks in the woods.

Cierra Washington

Cierra is the Executive Director for the Northside Food Co-op in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Northside, a historically Black neighborhood in Wilmington, has been without a grocery store for over 30 years. A UNCW alum with a BS in psychology, Cierra became intensely involved with local community organizations via work and volunteer engagements. Through these experiences she developed a passion for food access and food justice. This drew her to the Northside Food Co-op, starting as a volunteer which led to a full time position, and a promotion to project manager. The co-op is engaged with the local county in a public-private partnership to develop a grocery co-op in the Northside, and with local government support for the store post-opening. Today Cierra leads the co-op’s small-but-mighty staff in robust community programming aimed at addressing social determinants of health within the Northside neighborhood. The team is building significant relationships with local residents and community agencies. Cierra also coordinates the co-op’s board of directors and activities to advance the co-op’s grocery enterprise project.

Dami Odetola, National Cooperative Bank

Dami Odetola is Vice President at National Cooperative Bank and responsible for providing banking solutions for food cooperatives, independent grocery retailers and purchasing cooperatives on the East Coast. Since joining the bank in 2008, Dami has served in various positions, including relationship manager for NCB’s business cooperatives, credit analyst in the corporate banking department and asset manager in NCB’s risk management department. Dami is an avid promoter of cooperatives and has advised state and national governments on the impact and importance of the cooperative business model. He is also an active volunteer, a passionate photographer and serves on the boards of The ICA Group, The Fund for Jobs Worth Owning, Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF), Keystone Development Center (KDC), Partners for Development (PfD) and NCBA Co-Chair – Cooperative Development Program Council.

Darnell Adams

Darnell Adams is a dynamic leadership coach, facilitator, and business strategist, who has over two decades of experience working with nonprofit, for-profit, and cooperative businesses. She has been personally recognized in “Bold Thinkers Who Are Shaping Our City” by Boston Magazine’s Power of Ideas and as a Social Innovator by the Social Innovation Forum accelerator program. She develops and facilitates strategic plans, special projects, and workshops, providing expertise and training on an array of topics including transformational leadership, understanding implicit bias and power. She has presented to large and small groups within industry, city and state governments, universities, and media outlets. Darnell has a Master of Education from Harvard University and is an International Coaching Federation Credentialed Coach.

Don Moffitt

Don works through Columinate providing support for co-ops planning large capital investments. Until recently he provided numerous start-ups with proformas. His services include project management, financial literacy training, expansion and business planning, assistance with lease negotiations and general development assistance. He’s worked in natural foods retail since 1981, including Store Team Leader, Regional President and Vice President of Store Development for Whole Foods Market. He served as Project Manager for the Durham Co-op Market in Durham, NC. He holds a B.Architecture (University of Texas, Austin) and an MBA (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill).

Erica “Zenzele” Hardison 

Erica “Zenzele” Hardison serves as the board president for One Community Grocery Co-op, a start-up group working to build a cooperatively-owned grocery store on the Southside of St. Petersburg, FL. For over twenty years she has worked in St. Petersburg to help develop sustainable change in many areas including education, healthcare, housing, and food/agriculture. Zenzele brings her foundational goal — making the lives of all people better through sustainable, cooperative and collaborative development — to every project. With a B.S. in Mathematical Sciences, and her experience as an educator, a small business owner, and a community organizer, she has honed her natural ability to solve problems and think logically, creatively, and globally, while acting locally.

Erin Dale McClellan

Erin Dale McClellan is the executive director of The Partnership and Partnership Action Fund, a c3/c4 funder collaborative that has defined the practice of grantmaking to advance community and independent political power in 11 states. She is the former Executive Director of Blueprint NC—a collaborative of 58 progressive organizations working for a fairer, more just North Carolina. She is a founding member and the President of the Fertile Ground Food Cooperative in Southeast Raleigh and a community driven effort to start a community owned cooperative grocery store and gathering space. She has been awarded the SiStars Award from the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations, Local Hero Citizen of the Year in 2015 from Indy Week magazine, the Community Leader of the Year award from the North Carolina A. Philip Randolph Institute and most recently the Cooperative Champion Award from Up and Coming and the Indiana Cooperative Development Center.

Gabrielle (Gabby) Davis

Gabrielle (Gabby) Davis is the Racial Equity & Food Justice Manager for the National Co+op Grocers and the Board Treasurer for the Detroit People’s Food Co-op. Gabby has earned a graduate degree in public health and another in counseling and is the owner of Equitable Counseling & Consulting which provides mental health therapy that prioritizes the needs of Black, Brown and Queer folks. In her free time, Gabby enjoys reminding people that addiction is a disease, not a choice, dispelling myths about allyship and encouraging folks to say, ‘I don’t know’ instead of pretending to know. Gabby lives in the metro Detroit area with her wife and her wife’s dog and enjoys ruffling feathers when the opportunity arises. Community is Gabby’s love language.

Gail Patrice Lockert Anthony

Gail Patrice Lockert Anthony, owner and founder of Black Label Consulting and Coaching and Black Soil Media, has been working for, and toward, the beloved community for most of her life. She is a consultant, coach, facilitator, transformative mediator, and writer who uses workshops,  retreats, and online courses to build allies, partnerships, and collaborations. There is always more to share, higher ground to reach, and those she’d like to inspire to do more to create a nation that speaks to and for all of us. Her work in Anti Racist education for co-ops and communities is meant to help all co-op leaders, management, staff, members, and communities know and understand that our communities, and so our democracy,  only ends when we fail to nourish it, and is only a lie when we fail to incorporate the values and principles that sustain them. Love, Belonging, Community…Justice. This is our arc of achievement. Join me…

Grant Kessler

Grant Kessler brings over 15 years of experience in building and managing data systems to this interactive session. As one of the founding leaders of Chicago Market – A Community Co-op (Steering Committee lead and Board President for the first seven years), and as a consultant for amazing organizations such as Chefs Collaborative, FamilyFarmed (now Naturally Chicago), and the Good Food EXPO, he has played a pivotal role in establishing organizations’ data infrastructure from the ground up. He remains actively involved as a Board member and marketing team lead at Chicago Market, utilizing these systems daily to drive strategic initiatives. Grant’s expertise in data strategy and implementation will equip co-op board members with the tools needed to transform their data into a powerful asset.

Guy Cousins

Guy Cousins is a proud native of Richmond, Virginia. He completed his undergraduate studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Administration. He subsequently completed his post-graduate degree studies at Charlotte School of Law, obtaining his Juris Doctorate, and ultimately being successful in passing the North Carolina State Bar Exam the same year. Guy has been in private practice since. Community economic development is of high import and has become a large part of his daily activities. Outside of practicing law, Guy has an immutable passion for ensuring the upward mobility of the youth and residents of underserved communities. Currently living in the Charlotte-Metro area, he serves as a Board Member on the West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition, and Chairman of the Board for the Three Sisters Market Food Co-op. He has had the pleasure of previously serving on the Boards for T.I.M.E. Foundation, a mentoring organization, and the Mecklenburg County Black Chamber of Commerce. All things mentioned serve secondarily to his young family, whom he cherishes and is grounded by daily.

Heather Lazickas

Heather works in co-op development with seven roots, a worker-owned firm that teams up with grocers to build community-focused businesses. Heather fell into co-ops early in her career through marketing + branding, communications, and eventually, store operations. She is increasingly engaged on issues of food access.

She is board vice president at Lexington Co-op Markets, serves on various professional committees, and is passionate about connecting with the people she meets, works, and lives with. Off hours, she’s probably eating.

Hether Jonna Frayer

Hether Jonna Frayer is a co-op enthusiast who believes in the power of people aligned around the cooperative principles and values to inspire meaningful and positive change in our communities. She served on the board of People’s Food Co-op in Kalamazoo, Michigan, for 21 years. She also serves on the board of Can-Do Kalamazoo, a business incubator. Hether is a member of Columinate, a shared services cooperative, and supports mission-driven organizations such as nonprofits and cooperatives with governance training, leadership development, board orientation, retreat and meeting facilitation, and equity work. Hether is energized by the opportunity to talk with, learn from, and be inspired by cooperators from all over the country, and so excited to welcome start-up cooperators to Kalamazoo!

Jade Barker

A life-long social justice activist, Jade joined her local food co-op startup effort in 2002 as an outreach volunteer, never imagining how tumultuous the startup journey would be. She joined Columinate in 2014, partly to honor the gifts of wisdom she received from Columinate consultants in her own co-op journey. She joined River Valley Co-op’s board in 2005, winning a national award for cooperative board service in 2014, the same year her home co-op, River Valley Co-op, was recognized as retailer of the year. She’s especially passionate about the cooperative business model, which elevates equity and empowers communities, and the power of cooperation to transform the human spirit. Jade is also a trained mediator, coach, and a former co-director of the Mediation & Training Collaborative in Greenfield, MA. Her master’s degree in Transformational Leadership and Coaching has convinced her that we are all leaders and that we can all create change.

Jamila Medley

Jamila Medley leverages experience working within the economic and racial justice movements to support organizations committed to transformational change. With a background in organizational development, she brings facilitation expertise and thought partnership to highly participatory processes related to governance, strategic planning, and leadership development. Inspired by trust-based philanthropic principles, Jamila stewards The Partnership Fund’s Collective Courage Fund, is board chair of the Independence Public Media Foundation, and a co-lead within Securing Roots. Her solidarity economy building efforts include being a collaborator in projects like Solidarity Resource, the Solidarity Economy Principles Project, Columinate’s Co-op Cafe and she serves on the board of directors of the Food Co-op Initiative. From 2012-2021, Jamila served in governance roles and then as executive director of the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance (PACA).

Joel Kopischke

Joel Kopischke has worked with co-ops for over 20 years, focusing on board development, cooperative governance, facilitation, strategic leadership, and executive coaching. (Governance nerd alert! Joel was even trained in Policy Governance at the Policy Governance® Academy by the Carvers – aka inventors of PG.) He is seven roots’ operations manager, working with the team to support co-ops in store development: design, site feasibility, branding, prepared foods, and project support. seven roots is a worker-owned co-op. He served as Board President with Outpost Natural Foods then spent 9 years with CDS Consulting Co-op (now Columinate) working with dozens of co-ops of various types and industries in the US, Canada, and even New Zealand, before joining seven roots. Out in the wild, Joel is also a professional actor and singer; a favorite summer pastime is singing the national anthem for Milwaukee Brewers baseball games. He is a certified facilitator for experiential trainings focused on personal development, including JEDI work addressing power, privilege, and difference through the Mankind Project.

John Guerra, NCG

John joined NCG in 2015 and advises co-ops on the planning and implementation of store reinvestment, relocations, and new store projects. John has over 17 years of experience in retail real estate development and asset management with expertise in market & financial analysis, lease negotiation, project development, and portfolio management. 

JQ Hannah

JQ Hannah is the Assistant Director of the Food Co-op Initiative and specializes in the development of trainings and content to empower startup food co-op organizers to lead in their communities. A deep believer in the power of peer idea sharing and the best innovations coming from those leading in the trenches of the movement, JQ has headed up the expansion of FCI’s peer learning opportunities, from the FCI peer remote learning groups, to the FCI regional DeepDive trainings, to the FCI Live video series. JQ served as the General Manager of Common Ground Food Co-op in Urbana, IL from 2006-2015, leading them through two store expansions and five years of being the fastest growing food co-op in the nation. 

Katie Novak

From the moment Katie learned about food co-ops she was all in. She jumped in first as a volunteer, later as an employee, and now as a coach (aka consultant). She has made it her mission to support, coach, and empower co-ops. 

Katie has helped co-ops raise over $9,500,000 since she began providing coaching to start-up grocery co-ops in 2017. She began her consulting career after record-breaking success chairing Green Top Grocery Co-op’s (Bloomington, IL) Capital Campaign in 2016. 

In addition to capital campaign services, Katie assists co-ops with owner growth and engagement which includes communication with current and future co-op owners. She also prides herself on being Green Top Grocery’s first employee. As the first employee of an organization, she has a unique perspective about what a new employee needs to be successful and has assisted numerous co-ops in hiring and onboarding their first employee. 

Her work has recently expanded to include grassroots marketing consultation to mission driven organizations. In addition, she has co-founded a sister company called CoApp with Jess Buttimer of Prairie Food Co-op (Lombard, IL). CoApp is a cloud-based owner tracking and fundraising system designed especially for co-ops. CoApp supports cooperation among cooperatives, resulting in data-driven insights including trends, tips & best practices.

LaDonna Sanders Redmond

LaDonna is a Qualified Administrator (QA) of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), Intercultural Organizational Development Consultant and Coach with Columinate. LaDonna serves as Board President of Seward Community Co-op in Minneapolis and is a Board Member of National Cooperative Business Association. LaDonna is a community activist who worked on several public health issues throughout her career such as substance abuse, violence and food justice. LaDonna successfully worked to get Chicago Public Schools to eliminate junk food, launched urban agriculture projects, started a community grocery store and worked on federal farm policies to expand access to healthy food in communities of color. LaDonna is a 2003, WK Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow In 2009, Redmond was one of 25 citizen and business leaders named a Responsibility Pioneer by Time Magazine. LaDonna has a popular Tedx talk, Food + Justice = Democracy.

Lanay Gilbert-Williams

​​Lanay Gilbert-Williams, a native Detroiter and dedicated community leader, serves as Board President of the Detroit People’s Food Co-op. She is also the founder of Detroit’s Brown Moms Sisterhood Circle, a vital support system for African-American mothers, particularly those navigating the foster care system. In addition, Lanay holds leadership roles as President of the Wildemere Park Neighborhood Association and Youth Program Coordinator for Know Allegiance Nation. As a proud mother of six, she is passionate about developing solutions that empower Black youth and foster community building and nationhood.

Leslie Watson

Based in Minneapolis, Leslie Watson has been a member of Columinate’s CBLD (Cooperative Board Leadership Development) team since 2013. In that role, she supports boards of directors in all aspects of governance, from bread-and-butter to spicy and everything in between. She came to this work following a decade of service on the board of the Eastside Food Co-op, which included the thrill of opening the co-op, the anxiety of a financial crisis in the early days of operations, and the eventual joy of achieving stability and growth. Leslie is also a founding organizer and current board president of the Northeast Investment Cooperative, formed to make transformative investments in distressed real estate along her neighborhood’s commercial corridor. She embraces the co-op model and co-op startups as a great way of reshaping our relationships with our communities, and reorienting commerce and industry to serve people and planet ahead of other interests. But she thinks cooperative Scrabble is just wrong.

Mark Goehring

Mark Goehring is Manager of Columinate, a national cooperatively owned and operating consulting and management services co-op that has served startups for many years. He coordinates the Managers on Contract and Columinate Financials Services programs.

Matthew Ruffi

Matthew bridges the gap between experience and advocacy, channeling his background in corporate leadership towards community-driven initiatives. As the Sr. Project Manager of Link Up Illinois, Ruffi champions efforts to improve food accessibility for Illinoisans throughout the state. Through the Link Match program (which can double the spending power of those receiving SNAP benefits), he helps to not only put additional spending power in the hands of community members most in need, but also to increase spending locally – at farmers markets, farm stands, stores and more. In addition, he serves as the Board President of Chicago Market – A Community Co-op, where he fosters a culture of collaboration and inclusion (instilled in the organization from the previous President, Owners, and Community) as they move toward an open in 2025. Ruffi’s transition from a successful corporate career, including his tenure as the Global COO at Adstream (now XR), to a focus on community development reflects his commitment to impactful change. A self-professed “recovering corporate guy,” he believes in equipping organizations (small and large) with the tools and processes they need to thrive, especially during their formative stages, fostering sustainable success and deep community engagement.

Michele Saavedra Slappey 

I am a native of Brooklyn, New York and attended City College of NY. I moved to the north end of Waterbury CT in 1983 with my late husband and son. My first CT job was with the Hartford Insurance Company in customer service. I stayed with the company for 25 years and retired as a Business Analyst Consultant and Project Manager. I worked several more years with other insurance and financial companies in the same roles. I currently work part time as a parent liaison in a Waterbury elementary school. During my years in CT, I have been active in multiple community, political  and faith based organizations. I believed strongly in using our skills to help others when we see a need. I hope to pass that on to my 4 grandchildren. As a resident of Waterbury, I know first-hand how needed a cooperative market is  to the community. Our motto is Unity in the Community, and the cooperative embodies this is so many ways

Michelle Schry

Michelle Schry is Retail Support Director with National Co+op Grocers supporting food co-ops in the Central U.S., where she leads a team of seven who provide direct store support to GMs, boards and staff. Prior to joining NCG in 2015, Schry spent 20 years as a food co-op GM. She’s a past recipient of the CCMA Co-op Excellent Award and a Cooperative Service Award winner.

Mikki Smith

Her passion for community service is evident in her extensive volunteer work and professional endeavors. Smith has been recognized for her contributions with prestigious awards such as the Helping Hands award from the ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County and the Teen Mental Health award from NAMI of Greater Cleveland. Additionally, she is a graduate of the Neighborhood Leadership Development Program and a recipient of the John Cox Community Leadership award.

Smith’s expertise lies in curriculum development, youth programs, and crisis intervention management. As the Executive Director of Little Africa Food Collaborative, she is at the forefront of educating the community about nutrition and sustainable food systems. Her certifications in Master Rain Gardening and Master Aquaponics Instructor further solidify her role as an environmental steward.

An active member of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA), Smith is a sought-after speaker and local host for Biodiversity for a Livable Climate initiatives. Her dedication to fostering a thriving community is also reflected in her roles as treasurer and committee representative for the Black Farmers Conference.

Through her work, Mikki Smith is making a significant impact on the Cleveland community, promoting health, education, and sustainability.

Opal Baker

A community advocate and environmental justice activist, Opal Baker works at the intersection of voting rights, racial justice, and social justice. Her core belief is that everyone deserves a healthful life, with access to fresh, nutritious, and affordable food within their own community as a fundamental right. Opal believes that voting is a critical tool for driving change toward a more just and equitable food system for all and that folks should feel empowered to choose the change they want to see through the power of their vote. The founder of a community-based organization, Forward Together East Point, and a board member for Market 166 Grocery & Kitchen Co-op in East Point, Georgia, Opal brings decades of experience as a business owner in the arts, non-profit, start-ups, and food systems. Her leadership skills, community organizing experience, and entrepreneurial spirit are all dedicated to Market 166’s mission, and her connection to Market 166’s mission – expanding food access, investing in the local economy, cultivating community connections, and engaging residents as a food resource – aligns perfectly with her vision of food sovereignty for her community.

Peter Nolan

Peter Nolan is the Board President of the Sugar Beet Co-op in Oak Park, IL. He has served in that role since the opening of the co-op in 2015. Peter has been in the food business for over 30 years, holding marketing leadership positions at several innovative companies. He began his career as a Scoop Truck Driver for Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and grew to lead all the consumer promotions at the values-driven company. Peter moved on to lead the marketing efforts of Potbelly Sandwich Works and Roti Mediterranean Grill. In 2016, he founded 5th P Marketing, a consultancy focused on small, entrepreneurial restaurants and other companies. A Chicago native, Peter studied Mass Communications at UC Berkeley. He and his wife Karen Steward-Nolan have two daughters.

Piper Carter

Piper Carter is an Arts and Culture Organizer and Hip Hop activist with focus on Environmental and Climate Justice, Food Sovereignty, Black Liberation, Racial Equity, Gender Justice, Education Justice, Entertainment Justice communities and the Maker Space movement. She is the Environmental Justice Coordinator for the Detroit Black COmmunity Food Sovereignty Network, Midwest Convener and founding member of the Black Caucus for Climate Justice Alliance, a  Leadership Team member of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance, Cultural Trainer for Detroit Action, Cohort Member of Detroit Equity Action Lab (for Racial Equity), Founding Member of the Detroit Digital Justice Coalition. 

Rich Larochelle

Rich is a founding director of the Fredericksburg Food Co-op and has been deeply involved in the essential aspects of helping to make the Co-op a reality for Fredericksburg– from raising funds to recruiting new members to plan events to volunteering at the Farmers Market and representing the Co-op before numerous community groups. Rich has been a board officer since the Co-op was incorporated in 2015, including serving as board chair for 3 years, vice chair for 2 years and as board treasurer for the past 4 years.

Rich worked for cooperatives for 40 years prior to moving to Fredericksburg in 2014 with his wife Linda who is an accomplished artist and retired art teacher. Rich was Senior Vice President at the Cooperative Finance Corporation until retiring from there at the end of 2013, and Legislative Director at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association where he worked for 12 years. He continues to serve as the Board Chair of the Cooperative Development Foundation, a national c(3) organization that supports the creation of cooperatives as a way of positively impacting economic and social problems.

Rich recently joined the board of the Food Co-op Initiative which provides essential assistance to communities seeking to start a food co-op. Rich was inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame in 2017. 

Rickey Hall

Rickey Hall was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has lived in West Charlotte for his entire life. Hall received his bachelor’s degree in organizational communications from Queens University in Charlotte. Mr. Hall has always worked with nonprofit organizations throughout the local community and is an important member of numerous neighborhood coalitions and organizations such as the West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition and formerly, the West Side Community Land Trust. Mr. Hall has spent his lifetime working to implement sustainable community-driven solutions to address systemic social and economic mobility challenges in disenfranchised African American communities and promoting community-driven initiatives focused on addressing systemic food insecurity and improved health access. He intends to bring greater food and economic security to West Charlotte through his work with community gardens and the opening of a co-op market called the Three Sisters Market. Mr. Hall consistently implores upon the Community the importance of their working internally to combat issues which external entities have proven themselves to not value appropriately. Mr. Hall still lives in the same home that he was born and raised in, that his grandmother built in 1951. Real-estate investors ask him to sell it on a daily basis. In light of all the consistent community engagement, Mr. Hall places no higher regard on anything above his family.

Roderick McCulloch

Roderick McCulloch became a member of the Shared Capital team in 2022. As a part of the lending team his responsibilities include underwriting loan applications, providing ongoing support to borrowers, and collaborating on ways to improve operations. Prior to his time at Shared Capital Cooperative, he spent almost a decade in the food co-op sector filling numerous roles with a focus on improving production, providing supportive leadership, and implementing merchandising strategies. In addition to his tenure at Seward Community Co-op, he spent another decade working in the hospitality industry with small independent food businesses, which developed in him a passion for providing excellent service to others. Roderick earned a BA in Community Recreation and a Masters in Co-operative and Credit Union Management from St. Mary’s University in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Sam McCormick

Sam McCormick is the General Manager at Assabet Co-op Market in Maynard, MA. They were born and raised in Philadelphia and have worn many different hats over the years. In addition to the years managing Mariposa Food Co-op in West Philly, they have spent time in co-op education, green construction, and business management and consulting in a variety of sectors. They are passionate about food sovereignty, anti-racism, and social equity work, and have tried to center these values in all of their pursuits. Sam is thrilled to be back working in the co-op sector and relocated to Massachusetts with their partner three years ago for this work. Sam brought their wealth of experience in co-op management and green construction to the challenge of securing a site and opening Assabet’s store. Now the work of guiding and supporting a thriving open store is here! Sam believes that community support is vital for a successful consumer-owned co-op and strives to continue embedding this in the operations of the open store.

Sarah Lebherz

Sarah Lebherz works with Columinate developing pro forma financials for start-up cooperatives. She’s worked at Common Market Co-op in Frederick, MD for over 25 years as Merchandising Manager, General Manager, Project Manager and most recently, Chief Financial Officer. She has been Project Manager for two expansion projects for Common Market during her tenure, including the expansion of the original store and the development of a second store. She has previously served as a member of the Risk Management Committee for the Eastern Corridor of National Cooperative Grocers (NCG).

seven roots

seven roots provides store development and design support to food co-ops and independent grocers, with a passion for helping young cooperatives make a difference in their communities. The team delivers store development support and services, including site selection and feasibility, project coordination, store design and programming, prepared foods work, as well as branding, and governance/GM coaching. What’s cool about 7r? The group works collaboratively, bringing their varied backgrounds in cooperatives and store operations into each project. They’ve filled roles on co-op retail floors, admin support, board seats, and on startup teams. Those experiences inform their work with co-ops nationwide. seven roots is proudly worker owned and committed to cooperation! What else? These folks are people people. Please introduce yourselves and your co-op – 7r loves to tackle challenges and connect folks to resources.

shakara tyler

shakara tyler is a returning-generation farmer, educator and organizer who engages in Black agrarianism, agroecology, food sovereignty and environmental justice as commitments of abolition and decolonization. She obtained her PhD at Michigan State University in Community Sustainability (CSUS) and works with Black farming communities in Michigan and the Mid-Atlantic. She explores participatory and decolonial research methodologies and community-centered pedagogies in the food justice, food sovereignty and environmental justice movements. She is the Co-Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network (DBCFSN), board member of the Detroit People’s Food Co-op (DPFC) and co-founder of the Detroit Black Farmer Land Fund (DBFLF) and a member of the Black Dirt Farm Collective (BDFC) and a Lecturer at the University of Michigan in School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS).

Shannon Ratliff

Shannon Ratliff resides in Imperial Beach, CA. She has been an active part of opening SunCoast Market Co-op since 2016. SunCoast Market will be only the second grocery co-op in San Diego County, and one of few in Southern California. She is currently the Vice President on the board of directors and works as Outreach Manager. A significant role she has played in these positions is public and government relations and fundraising. Their fundraising strategy has been to focus on grants and larger gift donations. In her free time, she works in the healthcare field and has spent many years advocating for healthy communities in both a public and professional capacity.

Siobain Mitchell

Siobain Mitchell is the Finance Manager at Assabet Co-op Market in Maynard, MA. She is also a peer group facilitator & technical assistance provider through FCI and an independent consultant. Siobain loves working with start-ups, and provides financial literacy training for boards, full Stage 2 feasibility assessments, and pro forma financials. Siobain has a certificate in Financial Planning from B.U. and worked as a mortgage loan underwriter prior to taking time off to raise her family and work to organize and open a food co-op in her community.

Steve Cooke

Steve Cooke has been the General Manager of Friendly City Food Co-op since August of 2010. He came back to the Shenandoah Valley to be part of the start-up team there and applied all of the experience, skills and local food system building tools he acquired as GM of Sevananda Natural Foods Market in Atlanta, GA, where he worked for 16 years. Passionate about co-ops and creating start-ups that last, he has served on the board of Food Co-op Initiative since 2016. Steve previously served on the Risk Management Committee and Steering Committee of the Eastern Corridor of the National Co-op Grocers. He has been part of the planning committees of the Virginia Farm to Table Conference, as well as a credit union board. Steve has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Journalism from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. He likes to say that he “has a degree in Political Science and Communications, and that’s why he runs a food co-op,” tying the politics of food, and the building of strong community relationships.

Tamah Yisrael

Tamah Yisrael serves as the Director of Training & Development at Columinate, where she engages directly with communities to bolster organization and empowerment, alongside offering financial management services. A passionate advocate for cultural awareness, social justice, and equitable access to nourishing foods, Tamah is deeply involved in the cooperative movement in New Orleans. In her role as the Education & Outreach Coordinator at Cooperation New Orleans, she focuses on highlighting cooperation as both a cultural expression and a strategic pathway toward Black liberation. She is currently working with cooperative organizers across the country to form the National Association of Black Cooperators. Through active participation in numerous committees and working groups, she contributes to the ongoing efforts to forge a fairer society. She is currently serving on the board of CooperationWorks and previously served as the president of the board of the New Orleans Food Co-op. Drawing on her extensive experience as a business owner, Tamah brings valuable insights and management strategies that enhance organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Particularly noteworthy is her role in facilitating the merger of three community groups into a Worker Self Directed Nonprofit, Builders of the Highway Foundation Inc, paving the way for the establishment of community centers in New Orleans, Miami, and Orlando, FL. Additionally, Tamah and her family have made significant contributions to the cultural and spiritual landscape through their establishment of the Neo Jazz School of Music, Yisrael Edutainment, and their collective efforts in cultural and spiritual organizing.

Velonda Anderson

Velonda Anderson, PhD, is a well-known health promotion educator, author, professor, and nutritionist specializing in nutrition coaching and plant-based diet meal makeover education. She is the founder & CEO of Sweet Potato Delights, a veteran owned small batch manufacturer of vegan dips, snacks and baked goods featuring sweet potatoes. She retired as the manager of the City of Detroit Health Department’s Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program in 2019 and has served as a consultant for the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, teaching Enhanced Fitness and facilitating a cohort of the Diabetes Prevention Program. Dr. Anderson has completed doctoral studies in the field of nutrition and health promotion and is currently a nutrition professor for South University Online. She is the author of several educational cookbooks; “Beyond Candied Yams and Sweet Potato Pie,” her second book and “Pass the Sweet Potatoes, Please!” her first book. Veteran woman-owned enterprise manufacturing sweet potato based baked goods and grab&go foods.

Vikas Mangipudi

Vikas joined CFNE in January 2022 to support the growth of cooperatives in Vermont and New Hampshire. He was born and raised in Nashua, NH before landing in the Burlington, VT area. He has lived in a housing co-op, been involved in starting multiple real estate cooperatives, and worked at a large employee-owned (ESOP) software company in addition to having served as the treasurer of the Vermont Solidarity Investing Club. His educational background includes studying Statistics and Sociology at Boston University as well as Accounting at CCV and Champlain College.

Wynston Estis

I have worked with consumer owned grocery retailers since the nineties. My first co-op job was with Willy Street Co-op in Madison, Wisconsin. As the Co-op grew and developed, I worked with store planners, architects, and engineers to develop and manage the site, retail and equipment plans for each expansion effort. That was fun! Since I began consulting, I’ve worked with Co-op’s facing a variety of challenges, including start up Co-op’s at all stages in planning and opening their unique vision of their community’s cooperative grocery store. I value the cooperative model as the standard for sustainable business. I believe in the commitment that co-ops make to their ownership. Through my work and sharing my knowledge and experience I hope to strengthen our workforce and management’s ability to grow the Co-op impact.