SPEAKERS

amaha sellassie

Amaha Sellassie is an 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. 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 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 Marie Sayles

Angela Marie Sayles, Cleveland native, is a corporate professional, academic, business owner, and community developer with expertise in finance and accounting solutions, curriculum development and training, research facilitation, strategic and international business development. Angela is involved in local, national and global projects addressing land and food rights, cooperative ownership equity, financial sustainability in agribusiness, and social enterprise fund development. 

EDUCATOR AND WORKSHOP FACILITATOR As an educator, researcher and workshop facilitator, Angela develops and delivers program curriculum on the topics of personal and business financial development for non-profits, small business entrepreneurs, artists, community residents, youth and working mothers. 

FOOD SYSTEMS AND AGRIBUSINESS Angela holds 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 within 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. Most recently, 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 will participate 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.

Anne Misak

Anne is the Senior Program Manager for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative at Reinvestment Fund, a national initiative to improve access to healthy food in underserved rural and urban areas, to create and preserve quality jobs, and to revitalize low-income communities. She has been engaged with cooperatives for over 15 years, including being on the boards of a student co-op association and a number of food co-ops in Philadelphia and Denver. She helped found two co-op support organizations, The Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance and the Center for Community Wealth building in Denver. Anne also has experience as an entrepreneur, federal grant writer for food systems and economic development organizations, small business lender, and community organizer. She is passionate about creating community-led solutions to achieve racial and economic justice and food sovereignty.

Anthony Goodwin

Anthony Goodwin is the Business Innovation Director for National Co+op Grocers. He has over 17 years of grocery industry experience across various sectors including national chains, non-profits, and cooperatives. Prior to joining NCG, he worked in retail operations and new store development for Meijer, Lucky’s Market, and ProMedica Health System. His passion is improving food access in under-resourced communities. In his current role at NCG—Anthony leads the Development Cooperative which is focused on developing a cooperative food solution to address low-income, low-access (LILA) communities. Anthony has a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Business Administration degree from The University of Toledo and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Health with a concentration on food justice and health equity.

Bijiibah Begaye

Bijiibah Begaye, Cooperative CatalysBijiibah 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 (she/her) is an organizational developer, community builder, and independent consultant with Firebrand Cooperative based in Vermont. As an experienced facilitator, community organizer, and project manager, she brings over two decades of experience in the co-operative and non-profit sectors. She serves as Board 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 New England and New York

Camille Kerr

Through the consulting firm she founded, Upside Down Consulting, Camille works to replace our current economic system with a solidarity economy that centers life, care for one another, and justice. UDC focuses on the economy in recognition of the multi-generational damage that our current economic system has had on all of our lives, and especially on people of color facing economic and physical insecurity. She specializes in cooperative start-up development, managing complex worker-centered initiatives, as well as policy advocacy and drafting. In partnership with Chicago organizers, Camille helped found ChiFresh Kitchen, a worker cooperative food service contracting business which is owned and determined primarily by formerly incarcerated folks living in the south & west sides of Chicago. Camille’s board and advisory roles include: Shared Capital Cooperative, Urban Growers Collective, EG Woode, Obran Cooperative, the City of Chicago’s Community Wealth Building Initiative and its Food Equity Council, the Community Food Navigator, and the National Cooperative Business Association’s Council of Cooperative Economists. Camille is also an executive fellow with the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations, where she co-directs the Project on Unions and Worker Ownership with Sanjay Pinto. Before starting Upside Down Consulting, Camille served as the Associate Director of The ICA Group, the Director of Field Building at the Democracy at Work Institute and the Director of Research at the National Center for Employee Ownership. She has a law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law where she was awarded a human rights fellowship and graduated cum laude.

Chris Dilley

Chris Dilley has been a cooperative grocery retail manager for nearly 20 years. He is passionate about the cooperative model, operational excellence, local food systems development, and equitable access for all. As a Columinate consultant he now shares his experience with co-ops throughout the country, supporting start-ups and transitions of all types, with an interest in eventually making 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.

Darnell Adams

Darnell Adams is a Boston-based leadership coach, facilitator, and strategist with over two decades of experience with non-profit, for profit and cooperative businesses. She has been recognized by Boston Magazine as a “Thought Leader” and part of “Boston’s new power class: the visionaries, idealists and thinkers among us whose insights are transforming the way we live, work, learn, play.” Darnell is a developer and facilitator of strategic plans, special projects and workshops, and provides expertise and training on an array of topics including transformational leadership and understanding bias and power. Darnell holds a Master of Education from Harvard University. Darnell is the President and co-owner of Firebrand Cooperative, a women-owned worker cooperative specializing in change management for mission-driven organizations.

Dennis Hanley

Dennis has been employed in 49 of the 50 US states and has opened 600+ stores locations and over 50 distribution centers. He has worked in 11 different retail formats including conventional, upscale, natural and organic, on-line, Hispanic and Supercenters. His areas of expertise include operations and merchandising; finance and human resources; distribution, vendor management and pricing; marketing, advertising and information technology; community connection and logistics.         

Domenic Breininger

Domenic Breininger, Bethlehem Food Co-opDomenic Breininger is the Treasurer and elected member of the Board of Directors for the Bethlehem Food Co-Op located in Bethlehem, PA. As Treasurer, he has been part of teams and committees that have secured full funding for the Bethlehem Food Co-Op’s opening ensuring that the Co-Op will open without any debt. Domenic is excited to share his Co-Op’s story at Up & Coming on what mechanisms they used to achieve their financial goals. The Bethlehem Food Co-Op’s doors are slated to open in early 2024.

Don Moffitt

Don Moffitt works with Columinate providing support for co-ops planning large capital investments. His services include pro forma financials and financial literacy, expansion and business planning, assistance with lease negotiations and general development assistance. He’s worked in natural foods retail since 1981, including Store Manager, Vice President of Store Development, and Regional President for Whole Foods Market. He was the start-up Project Manager for the Durham Co-op Market in Durham, NC. He has a B.A. Architecture (University of Texas, Austin) and an MBA (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill).

Dr. Jasmine R. Jackson

Dr. Jas is an applied food systems research and policy-based specialist. She partners with academic research teams, anchor institutions, philanthropic foundations, and community-based organizations to identify root causes of and develop innovative solutions to food system challenges. Dr. Jas received her master’s degree in Community Planning from Auburn University and Ph.D. in Integrative Public Policy and Development from Tuskegee University. As a New Orleans native and farmer, she has developed a unique perspective when it comes to food and the effects that it has on communities. Dr. Jas believes that your zip code should not determine your life expectancy, and building relationships is essential to creating a sustainable and just food system.

Erin Dale Mcclellan 

Erin is the executive director of The Partnership Funds and the Partnership Action Funds, a c3/c4 funder collaborative that has defined the practice of grantmaking to advance community &  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. 

Erin started her journey to heal her family and community  ancestral wounds in 2017 and was given the spiritual name denai sankofa in 2019. She  practices southern hoodoo and apprentices as medicine carrier of the pachakuti mesa tradition. Her healing and cultural work as denai focus on holistic healing, herbs, tool making, art and alignment alchemy. Erin founded Alchemi LLC in 2020 to focus on work as a movement healer and cultural artist. Erin is most proud of her accomplishment as a mother of two sons. She has a degree in Sociology from the College of William and Mary. 

Faye Mack

Faye Mack (she/her) is the Executive Director at Food Co-op Initiative (FCI). FCI is a nonprofit organization committed to helping communities across the country organize and open a successful retail food co-op of their own. She joined FCI in late 2022 with a background in food systems and food justice, advocacy, community development, and food co-op governance. Faye recently served as the Advocacy and Education Director at Hunger Free Vermont. She also has experience as a researcher focused on rural food access and sustainable food systems. Faye has worked on the front end at grocery stores and food co-ops and served on the Board of Directors for City Market / Onion River Co-op in VT and for the Neighboring Food Co-op Association. She is passionate about the cooperative model, food co-ops, and the deep transformative impact they can have in their communities.

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.

Garland McQueen

Garland is from Clemson, SC. Has 40 years in retail, serving as clerk to CEO and everything in between. Has opened several stores from the implementation stage and several more from different stages of pre-opening. Has been affiliated with Columinate for 10 years and specializes in project management, financial improvement, and interim management.

Jade Barker

An award-winning board leader, Jade Barker works nationally with boards of directors to improve their effectiveness and impact as a co-owner of Columinate, a cooperative devoted to the common good. A trained mediator and coach, and a former co-director of the Mediation & Training Collaborative (now Collaborative Resolutions Group), for the past several years Jade has been designing and facilitating workshops for people who want to have more meaningful and productive conversations about race. Consistent with her life-long commitment to social change, she is also an instructor with the Sojourner Truth School for Social Change Leadership. Jade’s master’s degree in Transformational Leadership and Coaching has convinced her that we are all leaders and we can all create change.

Jamila Medley

For over 20 years, Jamila has supported mission-based organizations in the non-profit and cooperative business sectors. As an independent consultant, Jamila leverages her background in organizational development – as well as her lived experience being part of efforts focused on economic and racial justice – to move organizations towards transformational change. She brings facilitation expertise and thought partnership to highly participatory processes which support organizations and their stakeholders with governance, strategic planning, resource generation, leadership development, research, and more. From 2012-2021, Jamila served in governance roles and then as executive director of the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance (PACA). At PACA, she partnered with other cooperators, elected officials, movement organizers, and funders to position cooperatively owned enterprises as a robust and equitable economic development solution to economic and racial injustice in the Philadelphia region. She continues to be an advocate and educator in the solidarity economy movement locally and nationally. Jamila holds a M.S. degree in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania and earned her B.A. degree in Urban Studies from Connecticut College. She serves on the boards of directors and advisory committees for several organizations including the Independence Public Media Foundation, Food Co-op Initiative, and All Together Now PA.

Jeanie Wells

Jeanie served as general manager and CEO at The Merc Co-op in Lawrence, Kansas for more than 10 years, overseeing many expansions and leading a decade of exponential growth before leaving to become a national organizational development consultant in 2009. As a consultant at Columinate, Jeanie has supported more than 125 organizations across the US and Canada over the past decade. Because of her background, she provides a breadth of support and guidance, including: Operational and financial improvement and planning, Organizational capacity and culture, Executive leadership development and coaching, Store conditioning and improved shopping environments, Merchandising and layout planning, Management team training and development, Board and GM relationship support. In addition to her work as a consultant, she leads the GM Development Program team and other project leadership roles within Columinate. Jeanie is a trusted adviser and collaborator to national industry leaders and serves on the board of Food Co-op Initiative. In 2022, she founded the new grocery store leadership program, Mighty Community Markets, designed to teach critical skills to managing locally controlled independent grocery stores of all kinds, locations, and sizes. https://columinate.coop/events/mighty-community-markets/

Joe Rouleau

Joe Rouleau has been passionate about the organic food movement and environmental issues since his youth. In 2005 he joined Ciranda, a supplier of organic and fair-trade food ingredients, where he garnered subject matter expertise in organic supply chains and established strong industry relationships. Through his travels, he shared meals with farmers around the globe and listened to their challenges, which only further inspired him to advocate for organic agriculture. Joe currently sits as Ciranda’s Head of Sustainability where he is responsible for aligning the company’s ESG initiatives. He is professionally engaged with organizations including Marbleseed, the Sustainable Food Trade Action Council (SFTAC) and Wisconsin’s Green Tier Climate Charter, among others. 
 

Growing up in Northern Minnesota, Joe spent a lot of time outdoors and grew a deeper appreciation for nature and conservation. He has spent nearly two years of his life collectively in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and Quetico and is known for his winter camping and survival skills. It was at a co-op in Northern Minnesota where he met his wife, Maggie. 

The couple lives in Hudson, Wisconsin, with their two daughters and a few pets (chickens coming soon!). They are longtime supporters of Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) and enjoy hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing, fishing, and gardening as family. Their shared appreciation for CSA’s and food cooperatives inspired Joe to get involved with his local community co-op where he serves as the board president for over 2 years.  While the co-op had been previously experiencing low membership growth, Joe helped lead their membership growth to new historic levels and filled the board to its full capacity.  

Joe has a dual major in economics (BA) and Mathematics (BS) from the University of Minnesota – Duluth where he also helped develop the campus’ recycling programs. 

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 and 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

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. 

Kathy Nash

Kathy Nash is co-founder of Prairie Food Co-op (PFC) and current Chair. PFC was founded by Kathy and her husband Jerry in 2012 after their experience as volunteers and Owners of Common Ground Food Co-op in Urbana, IL. Kathy serves as PFC’s Project Manager to ensure the project continues to move forward and follows best practices. She is very proud that PFC has received FCI’s seed grant in addition to UCUR’s “Cooperator of the Year” and “Innovator of the Year” awards. Kathy is just a small part of PFC’s success. She is grateful for the hard work and dedication that the Board and dozens of Co-op volunteers have contributed so much of their own time and money over the past 9+ years to open their store. PFC is a powerful example of what can be accomplished when people work together towards a common goal. Prairie Food Co-op is expected to open in 2023 in Lombard, Illinois and currently has over 1600 Owners who’ve invested $1.7 million into their future store.

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.

Keyona Hough

Keyona Hough is a teacher, researcher, mother, public speaker and defender of Black liberation and sovereignty at all costs. Currently, she holds the position of Food Susu Organizer for a Black owned organization, Black Yield Institute (BYI). Keyona is the President of the Cherry Hill Food Cooperative, which is one of the solutions to food apartheid within Baltimore City. She is a co-founder of the National Black Association of Black Cooperators (NABC), an organization contributing to the promotion of regenerative economic well-being of Black governed cooperatives. She understands the dire need for our communities to learn how food, white barbarism and limited ownership affects our psyches, attitudes, and behaviors. She graduated from Morgan State University with a bachelor’s degree in Family & Consumer Science and has over 20 years of experience in maternal and infant health, community organizing, advocacy, and resource development. Keyona continues the fight for Black people to thrive within systems they own and no longer fight for a seat at other people’s tables. 

She is the Owner/Founder of UnKIDitional LoVe Recreation Center, an organization that specializes in providing life skills, social development, and entrepreneurship skills for high functioning teens (13-18) with special needs. She has been a pioneer in advocating for children with special needs to live life to their fullest potential.

Keyona continues to be a student of life, as she believes everything you do should make you a better person. She understands the more we develop ourselves, the better we experience life, be compassionate and live authentically.

Kim Frink

Kim is a founding member, and Board President, of SunCoast Market Co-op and lives in Imperial Beach, California in the southwest corner of San Diego County, near the international border with Mexico. As a Health and Human Services Agency manager for the County of San Diego, Kim wrote requests for proposals and served on many grant/contract proposal review teams. After retiring from the County, she worked as a grant writer for a local nonprofit and as a consultant. She has led SunCoast’s volunteer grant writing team in securing over $1.2 million in grants (so far). Kim has a master’s degree in public administration from San Diego State University and was recognized at the School of Public Affairs 50th anniversary celebration as one of the school’s 50 distinguished alumni.

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 is a native Detroiter who is the newly appointed board president of the Detroit People’s Food Co-op. She is a community organizer and has been advocating for the betterment of Detroit’s families for almost 20 years. She registers women to vote, leads her neighborhood association, and founded an organization that supports Black mothers. She mentors and advocates for parents whose children are in foster care and is the youth coordinator of a literacy program. As a mother of six, her primary goal is to assist in creating systems that the next generation can inherit and continue to improve for future generations.

Lela Klein

Lela Klein is the Co-Executive Director of Co-op Dayton, a nonprofit incubator in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio that builds grassroots movement and leverages community assets to build cooperative businesses that meet neighborhood needs. She is also a founding board member and served as project manager for the Gem City Market, a multi-stakeholder grocery cooperative opened in 2021 serving a low income and low access neighborhood in Dayton. Prior to co-founding Co-op Dayton, she served as General Counsel to the IUE-CWA, a manufacturing union, where she led major strategic projects, advocated on behalf of workers, and created a mentorship program to foster leadership among young manufacturing employees. Lela was also an organizer, and later an Attorney, with the Service Employees International Union.

Maggie Cohn

As a Loan and Outreach Officer with the Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, Maggie maintains relations with current and potential borrowers, and interacts with cooperatives and co-op developers and supporters in Rhode Island, eastern Connecticut, and eastern Massachusetts. Prior to joining CFNE, Maggie worked with several Boston non-profits, including the Mission Hill Health Movement, the Boston Collaborative for Food & Fitness (which addressed issues of access to healthy food and opportunities for physical activity in low-income neighborhoods), and Mission Hill Main Streets, which engaged business owners and local residents in strengthening and improving the local commercial district. In the 1990s, she worked at Red Sun Press, a democratically controlled commercial print shop in Boston. Developing a lasting interest in community development, she left Red Sun to pursue a degree in Community Economic Development. Maggie currently serves on the boards of the Cooperative Development Institute and the Back of the Hill Community Development Corporation. She is a member of Boston Building Resources (a consumer cooperative) and several food co-ops. Maggie holds a BA from UMass Boston and a Master’s Degree in Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University.

Malik Yakini

Malik Kenyatta Yakini is co-founder and Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN). DBCFSN operates the seven-acre D- Town Farm and is spearheading the opening of, the Detroit Food Commons, in Detroit’s North End that will house the Detroit People’s Food Co-op. He serves as a board member of the co-op. Yakini views the work of DBCFSN as part of the larger movement for building power, self-determination, and justice. He is adamantly opposed to the systems of white supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchy. He has an intense interest in contributing to the development of an international food sovereignty movement that embraces Black communities in the Americas, the Caribbean and Africa.   He is a co-founder of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance.

Mark Goehring

Mark Goehring is Manager of Columinate, coordinates the Managers on Contract program and provides support to the GM Development program and GM search support. He’s also a governance consultant with the Columinate’s CBLD (Cooperative Board Leadership Development) program.

Mark Mulcahy

Mark Mulcahy is a member of Columinate and the founder and owner of Organic Options, which provides transformative leadership and consulting services for natural and organic food Retailers, Businesses, Farms and Distributors. An award-winning consultant, educator, mentor, and organic advocate, he has spent more than 38 years in the organic produce industry leading, guiding, and inspiring others to their fullest potential. Mark is well known for his creative merchandising, effective training techniques, unique and creative approaches to leadership, successful sales growth, and promotion strategies, as well as his deep-seated passion for produce and dedication to sustainable agriculture. A Connoisseur of workplace Joy and inspirational retail operations Mark works with managers at every level to reimagine their workplace so it can grow and thrive in the changing marketplace. Mark is the co-creator and presenter of Rising Stars, a leadership development course for Coops and independent retailers, and Flavor Foundations, a fun, thought-provoking, interactive, and inspiring journey into the unique legacy of food and its relationship and connection with our mind, body, and community. As part of the Columinate Manager on contract and GM development program Mark has helped Co-op’s revamp, revitalize, and restructure their organizations as they transition to a new General Manager. Mark is an avid baseball fan, Pun Enthusiast®, and lover of Pie!

Mona Jenkins

Mona is an educator and organizer who graduated from the University of Cincinnati where she studied Psychology and Educational Foundations for Social Change. She actively works with community members to address neighborhood specific issues related to health, gender, housing, and education. In collaborating with leaders and individuals who reside in the neighborhoods, Mona seeks to build engagement, empowerment, and community sustainable solutions. She served as the Director of Development and Operations for the Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, an advocacy agency whose goal is to eradicate homelessness, for more than 6 years prior to taking on her role full-time as the Cofounder of Queen Mother’s Market Cooperative (QMMC). QMMC is a worker and community-owned grocery store that will be opening in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Walnut Hills in 2024. Mona also serves as the Cooperative Food Justice Coordinator for Co-op Cincy, where she works with residents to address food insecurity within their neighborhoods through equitable, community-centered approaches. Mona is on the board of the Erica J. Holloman Foundation, Inc., an organization for the awareness of Triple Negative Breast Cancer, the Cincinnati Health Network (CHN), and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO).

Patrice Lockert Anthony

Patrice Lockert Anthony, owner and founder of Black Label Consulting and Coaching, has been working for, and toward, the beloved community for most of her life. She consults, coaches, facilitates, and writes through workshops, mini-lunchtime sessions, and retreats. 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 larger communities know and understand that our democracy only ends when we give up, only dies when we fail to nourish it, and is only a lie when we refuse to incorporate it’s values and principles into the very bedrock…the marrow of who are as cooperators. She knows her ancestors provide spirit and energy and passion to her purpose. Ase Selah!

Rachel Dominguez-Benner

Rachel Dominguez-Benner makes moments, memories, and opportunities that spark creative joy in others. A trained Graphic Designer with a love of screen print, illustration, storytelling, and gift giving – Rachel is a maker of many mediums who loves the cross-pollination of ideas that emerges in creative community spaces. With a vibrant, bold style and emphasis on original brush ink illustrations, Rachel creates giftable art for everyday use in your kitchen and home. Building with others, Rachel is a designer and community creative rooted in Dayton, Ohio with clients across the United States. Rachel DB Creative brings creative capacity to collaborative organizations by contract support in Graphic Design and Communications.

Rae Gomes

She is currently the Deputy Director of Brooklyn Movement Center (BMC) and a co-founding board member, and the current board chair of the Central Brooklyn Food Cooperative, which was incubated by BMC. She supports food sovereignty work locally including working toward a Central Brooklyn Food Hub and is on the Leadership Team of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance. 

She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College. Her writing often includes issues of race and activism and has been published in The Nation magazine, Civil Eats, The Counter, Colorlines, and The Root, among others.  

As an organizer, she works at the intersection of race and food justice to address health disparities in under-resourced communities. Employing a framework of community self-determination, she works with local residents to cultivate power and ownership over the systems that have failed to serve them.

Gomes is a speaker and advisor on topics spanning the food system, appearing on panels for Slow Food USA, Rose Luxembourg Local to Global Grassroots forum, and NY State Health Foundation. She has consulted for Stone Barns Center for Agriculture, Food Education Fund, and GrowNYC. She also advised Studio Atao on “The Neighborhood Table: Combating Gentrification Through Intentional Hospitality” and facilitated a six-month process that led to the “Diversity and Equity Working Group Report” for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. 

Gomes is a 2021 Urban Design Forum Forefront Fellow, focused on Food Equity, winner of the Food Policy Pitch Day at CUNY Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, and a “40 under 40” Food Policy Stars, class of 2019. 

Raynardo Williams

Raynardo Williams is General Manager at Seward Community Co-op, a 20,000+-member food cooperative with two grocery stores and a production facility in Minneapolis. Ray is passionate about healthy food access for all, with a focus on communities of color; increasing diversity and inclusivity within food cooperatives; and raising awareness of cooperative economics in communities of color.

Ray has many years of leadership experience in retail food cooperatives and the financial services industry. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at National American University and a master’s degree in management at Hamline University in St. Paul. Ray was born and raised in St. Paul, MN, but currently resides in North Minneapolis with his dog Tucker Blaze. Ray enjoys traveling, cooking, shopping, and spending time with his family and close friends.

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 thriving consumer-owned co-op and strives to continue embedding this in the operations of the open store.

Sarah Atkins

Sarah Atkins, HGC Owner #22 since August 2023, was born and raised in Afton, Minnesota, before moving to Madison where she earned a degree in Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin. She and her late husband have resided in Hudson since 1995. She is an avid proponent of locally sourced and sustainable practices in construction, consumer products and food. She grew up appreciating organic and “home-grown” food resources with a large family garden at home and an even larger one “up north”. Her passion for HGC is founded on, among other things, her belief that co-ops have the unique ability to strengthen the fabric of its community due to their unique ownership structure, democratic foundation and the broad spectrum of possibilities for product and service offerings.

As an entrepreneur, Sarah Atkins launched Archovations, Inc. in 1996. This national company is a manufacturer of building products for moisture management in building exteriors. As a business owner, she has experience overseeing and coordinating the work of company teams including marketing, sales, finance, operations, human resources and product development. Sarah’s business is located in downtown Hudson and continues to be an active part of Hudson’s downtown business growth.

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 team

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.

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 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. He is passionate about co-ops and creating equitable, and sustainable start-ups, he currently serves on the board of Food Co-op Initiative. Steve is active on the Member Advisory committee of the National Co-op Grocers. He has been part of the planning committees of the Virginia Farm to Table Conference. Steve has a degree in Political Science and Journalism from James Madison University in Harrisonburg. 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 is a Business Consultant at Columinate that supports community organizing and empowerment as well as provides financial management services. She established her consulting practice in October 2018 to provide business development, bookkeeping, and management services to small businesses, nonprofits, and social impact enterprises and expanded this practice as a member and co-founder of Resolve Financial Cooperative. In providing Outsourced Executive Director Services to Builders of the Highway Foundation (BOTH Foundation) a national nonprofit, she successfully merged three organizations that created educational community centers in New Orleans, Miami, and Orlando. She is also a partner of Yisrael Records Inc., an independent record label and producer of jazz and contemporary music who provides management of local artists such as the Yisrael Trio. As an experienced business owner, she provides an array of insight and approach to management that increases an organization’s effectiveness and efficiency. Her community advocacy efforts are focused on cultural awareness, social justice, and access to healthy foods. She previously served as President and member of the board of directors for the New Orleans Food Co-op, which enabled her to bridge the connection in all three of these sectors. She is currently organizing a cooperative movement and is the Outreach and Education Coordinator of Cooperation New Orleans Loan Fund. Additionally, she was recognized by the Metro Birmingham Branch of the NAACP in its Annual Salute to Outstanding African American for her contributions to culture and youth of the community. She is a graduate of the Foundation for Louisiana’s TOGETHER Initiative LEAD Community Training Program, UNO’s Community Development Finance program, and Cooperation Works’ Art & Science of Cooperative Development. She continues to serve the community on various committees and working groups to build a more equitable society.

Te’Jal Cartwight

Te’Jal Cartwright is a journalist and Outreach Director for Co-op Dayton in Dayton Ohio. Her life goal is to build community and bring healing through truth and transparency. She is the executive producer and host of What’s the Biz with TJ, a digital platform that tells the stories of Black-owned businesses in communities across the nation. Under Te’Jal’s leadership, What’s the Biz has helped increase the visibility and brand awareness of more than 100 Black-owned businesses in Dayton. Te’Jal has 3 completed seasons, has garnered over 72,000 views in season 3 alone, and has partnered with organizations like the Greater West Dayton Incubator and Launch Dayton to connect local Black owned businesses to much needed resources. In 2022, Te’Jal launched Moments of Clarity on Instagram live, a platform that builds community through transparent conversations and storytelling. 

Te’Jal’s coverage of collaboration, business, politics, and mental health have been featured in local and national publications such as the Dayton Daily News and Mom’s Rising. Te’Jal has also interviewed legendary artists like Jo Jo Brim and Christopher “Play” Martin from Kid N’ Play. As a Story Coach for Lore, Te’Jal has led the storytelling initiatives of organizations ranging from higher education institutions to venture capitalist firms.

She is a passionate community advocate and a true champion of community development in Dayton. With a B.A. in English from the University of Dayton, Te’Jal’s journalism challenges her audience to reflect on themselves and their impact on the world. Her Storytelling skills have been an asset to local cooperatives, giving them insight on how they can connect with community in a creative way!

Valeria Roach

Valeria (Val) is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the National Cooperative Business Association Cooperative League of the United States of America (NCBA CLUSA.) Val has 30+ years of experience in the profit, not-for-profit and NGO industries in domestic and global operations, she developed extensive expertise in international development across Africa, Asia, Central America, Eurasia, and the Middle East.  She is recognized for competence in financial management, government contract acquisition, government contract accounting, program management, compliance, and capacity building.  She has strong leadership, business and financial acumen, and has a visionary approach to strategic thinking.  

Val serves on the Board of Rochdale Capital which provides financing and technical assistance to cooperative businesses and other community-based organizations. She serves as Chair of the Cooperative Business International, Inc. (CBI Global) Board who work with coffee and spice producers in S.E. Asia and combine production partnerships with social responsibility and sustainability. 

Vernon Oakes

Vernon Oakes is a retired Property Manager, and host of Everything Co-op, a weekly radio broadcast. He has a strong background in management and operations; developed in corporate and entrepreneurial environments. Mr. Oakes has significant experience in a wide range of business activities including finance, marketing, sales, sales forecasting, distribution and service, and systems design; both national and international. He has nine years of teaching experience at the college level, and two years training adults for the Department of Interior.

With the support of National Cooperative Bank, and a personal investment, Vernon has been hosting Everything Co-op for Almost 10 years. He is committed to helping people learn about the cooperative business model, because he feels that it can help the Country solve many of the problems being experienced in this post-recession era. Mr. Oakes uses this platform to share examples of how cooperatives address issues related to housing, health care, sustenance, cost of living increases, and the distribution of wealth.

Mr. Oakes received a Master’s degree in business administration from Stanford University, a Master of Science in Mathematics from Penn State University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Mathematics and Chemistry from Bluefield State College. Vernon served on the Limited Equity Cooperative Advisory Council, established by Washington, DC Councilmember Anita Bonds. He received “the Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Potomac Association of Housing Cooperatives, the “Spirit of Cooperative Award” from the National Cooperative Bank, and the National Association of Housing Cooperatives’s Jerry Voorhis Memorial Award.

Wynston Estes

Wynston has been working with Food Co-ops since the early 90s. Part of her experience has been on the store planning side of operations as a project manager for several new builds and remodel projects. Working with newly formed as well as developing Co-op’s to help plan your stores from concept to opening day is thrilling. Having been a GM, she understands the challenges on the board, the management team, and the complex network of professional service providers to build and open a store. Supporting the decision makers at the Co-op with current day knowledge of trends in our industry as well as issues hampering construction budgets and timelines, limits risks and helps avoid expensive missteps. Her expertise in operations helps her to guide design decisions so the store layout matches the financial projections which supports the goal of running sustainable Co-ops that will be of service to their communities for many years to come.