Opportunity in America - Events by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program

In this clip, Gwyneth Galbraith, vice president for global small business philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase, offers closing remarks for the 2024 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum.

The Forum is hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. Our 2024 Forum, “Employee Ownership on the Ground,” brought innovative employee share ownership initiatives and speakers from around the country to Washington DC to highlight how this bipartisan approach to improving jobs, wealth creation, and business performance is helping create more equitable economies in states, cities, and rural communities.

For clips and highlights from the Forum, subscribe to the Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop/

And tune in to our podcast to listen to full discussions on the go: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aspeneop

For more from the Forum — including videos, photos, audio, transcripts, and additional resources — visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2024/

In this video, we hear from five leaders representing a variety of sectors about their “big idea” for advancing employee ownership. Speakers include:


Christine Curella, Economic Development Consultant; Former Senior Policy Adviser to Deputy Mayor of New York City
Evan Edwards, Chief Executive Officer, Project Equity
Chris Griswold, Policy Director, American Compass
Wilma Liebman, Former Chair, National Labor Relations Board; Senior Fellow, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing
Jason Wiener, Member, Colorado Employee Ownership Commission; Executive Fellow, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing

This video comes from the second Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. Our 2024 Forum, “Employee Ownership on the Ground,” brought innovative employee share ownership initiatives and speakers from around the country to Washington DC to highlight how this bipartisan approach to improving jobs, wealth creation, and business performance is helping create more equitable economies in states, cities, and rural communities.

For clips and highlights from the Forum, subscribe to the Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop/

And tune in to our podcast to listen to full discussions on the go: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aspeneop

For more from the Forum — including videos, photos, audio, transcripts, and additional resources — visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2024/

Equity compensation is a standard practice across the corporate world. But very often, it’s just the C-suite and upper level management who are allowed to participate and capture the gains. Frontline workers, particularly women and people of color, are often excluded from this wealth-building opportunity. This panel will highlight examples and practices that reverse this trend so that equity compensation is equitable and so that the frontline workers, who are key to driving profits, also see a return for their contributions. Speakers include:

Robert Patricelli, Senior Advisor, InTandem Capital Partners

Anna-Lisa Miller, Founding Executive Director, Ownership Works

Anthony Cimino, Vice President and Head of Policy, Carta

Barbara Baksa, Executive Director, National Association of Stock Plan Professionals

Adria Scharf, Associate Director, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing (moderator)

This video comes from the second Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. Our 2024 Forum, “Employee Ownership on the Ground,” brought innovative employee share ownership initiatives and speakers from around the country to Washington DC to highlight how this bipartisan approach to improving jobs, wealth creation, and business performance is helping create more equitable economies in states, cities, and rural communities.

For clips and highlights from the Forum, subscribe to the Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop/

And tune in to our podcast to listen to full discussions on the go: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aspeneop

For more from the Forum — including videos, photos, audio, transcripts, and additional resources — visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2024/

Financing employee ownership conversions has been a long-standing challenge to growth. But new funds and investors from across the financial sector are coming on board. And many more opportunities appear on the horizon as institutional investors are beginning to explore how to get involved. This panel of finance experts will highlight some emerging finance models and the opportunities and challenges of financing the growth of employee ownership in the decade to come. Speakers include:


Amy Brakeman, Co-Founder, Unlock Ownership Fund
Phil Reeves, Founding Partner, Apis & Heritage Capital Partners
Zoe Schlag, Cofounder and Managing Partner, Common Trust; Executive Fellow, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing
Jim Sorenson, Founder, Sorenson Impact Group
Melissa Hoover, Special Projects Director, Democracy at Work Institute; Senior Fellow, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing (moderator)

This video comes from the second Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. Our 2024 Forum, “Employee Ownership on the Ground,” brought innovative employee share ownership initiatives and speakers from around the country to Washington DC to highlight how this bipartisan approach to improving jobs, wealth creation, and business performance is helping create more equitable economies in states, cities, and rural communities.

For clips and highlights from the Forum, subscribe to the Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop/

And tune in to our podcast to listen to full discussions on the go: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aspeneop

For more from the Forum — including videos, photos, audio, transcripts, and additional resources — visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2024/

The field of employee ownership is one in constant evolution. New forms of ownership are being created with some regularity, and the practice of starting and converting businesses to ownership continues to develop. These evolutions are in response to various factors including changing market conditions, policy and regulatory environments, and worker and business needs. But what they often share is a desire to innovate so that ownership and the benefits it provides can expand. This discussion will examine how companies and different organizations are innovating their models and practices to grow ownership in different regions in the US. Speakers include:

Christine Adee, Co-Chief Executive Officer, OwnersEdge, Inc.

Chris Cooper, Director, Ohio Employee Ownership Center

Corey Rosen, Founder and Senior Staff Member, National Center for Employee Ownership; Faculty Fellow and Member, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing

Aquilina Soriano Versoza, Executive Director, Pilipino Workers Center; Executive Fellow, Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing

Mary Josephs, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Verit Advisors; Contributor, Forbes (moderator)

This video comes from the second Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. Our 2024 Forum, “Employee Ownership on the Ground,” brought innovative employee share ownership initiatives and speakers from around the country to Washington DC to highlight how this bipartisan approach to improving jobs, wealth creation, and business performance is helping create more equitable economies in states, cities, and rural communities.

For clips and highlights from the Forum, subscribe to the Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop/

And tune in to our podcast to listen to full discussions on the go: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aspeneop

For more from the Forum — including videos, photos, audio, transcripts, and additional resources — visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2024/

In this clip, Ford Foundation Senior Program Officer Margot Brandenburg and Aspen Institute Vice President Maureen Conway (who also serves as executive director of the Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program) provide opening remarks for the second day of the 2024 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum.

The Forum is hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing. Our 2024 Forum, “Employee Ownership on the Ground,” brought innovative employee share ownership initiatives and speakers from around the country to Washington DC to highlight how this bipartisan approach to improving jobs, wealth creation, and business performance is helping create more equitable economies in states, cities, and rural communities.

For clips and highlights from the Forum, subscribe to the Economic Opportunities Program on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aspeneop/

And tune in to our podcast to listen to full discussions on the go: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aspeneop

For more from the Forum — including videos, photos, audio, transcripts, and additional resources — visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/employee-ownership-ideas-forum-2024/