Everything Co-op with Vernon Oakes

Everything Co-op
  • 4.8 (17)
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Podcast by Everything Co-op

  1. Caroline Shenaz Hossein discusses The Banker Ladies, and  the Future of Solidarity Economies

    FEB 3

    Caroline Shenaz Hossein discusses The Banker Ladies, and  the Future of Solidarity Economies

    January 15, 2022 - This episode features Caroline Shenaz Hossein. Dr. Hossein is a leading global scholar on solidarity economies, cooperative finance, and the economic contributions of racialized communities. She and Vernon will discuss her new book, The Banker Ladies, along with the benefits—and obstacles—of being at the forefront of building and sustaining solidarity economies. Caroline Shenaz Hossein is a Canada Research Chair Tier 2 in Africana Development & Feminist Political Economy and Associate Professor of Global Development Studies. She is the founding member of the international Diverse Solidarity Economies Collective (DISE), highlighting the need to amplify culturally diverse community economies to counter the systemic economic exclusion of marginalized populations. Dr. Hosein is a member of the new college at the Royal Society of Canada and holds an Ontario Early Researcher Award. Author of the award-winning Politicized Microfinance: Money, Power and Violence in the Black Americas and The Banker Ladies and editor of Community Economies in the Global South, of The Black Social Economy, Community Economies in the Global South and Beyond Racial Capitalism and has written more than 50+ articles and book chapters on financialization, development and feminist economics.

    57 min
  2. Alison Powers and Mary Alex Blanton discuss the 2025 Co-op Innovation Awards

    FEB 3

    Alison Powers and Mary Alex Blanton discuss the 2025 Co-op Innovation Awards

    October 30, 2026 Vernon speaks with Alison Powers of Capital Impact Partners and Mary Alex Blanton of the National Cooperative Bank (NCB). Together, they will discuss the partnership between their organizations to present the 2025 Co-op Innovation Awards, which recognize creative cooperative models that expand economic opportunities nationwide. Alison Powers is the Director of Economic Opportunities at Capital Impact Partners, a national Community Development Financial Institution dedicated to helping communities overcome barriers to success. In her role, she advances economic and wealth-building opportunities through cooperative development, small business growth, and equitable food systems. Alison also leads the Nourish DC Collaborative, which supports locally owned food businesses, expands access to healthy food, and fosters vibrant, job-creating neighborhoods. Through her work, she champions the cooperative model by providing funding, technical assistance, and financing that empower communities to thrive. Mary Alex Blanton is Senior Vice President and Director of Strategic Marketing at National Cooperative Bank (NCB), where she leads the bank’s marketing strategy, advertising, brand identity, corporate communications, and public relations. In her role, she supports NCB’s mission of empowering cooperatives and member-owned organizations – particularly in underserved communities. The Co-op Innovation Award honors organizations that strengthen food, housing, and worker co-ops. Each year, recipients receive up to $50,000 to expand cooperative development, drive shared prosperity, and build lasting community impact through innovative collaboration. This year’s recipients include: Farm Generations Cooperative of Cooperstown, New York, which helps farmers sell directly to their communities and improves access to healthy food through programs like SNAP and WIC. Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre in Los Angeles, California, creating East LA’s first housing cooperative to promote collective ownership and long-term affordability. Nashville Equitable Housing Cooperative of Tennessee, developing the state’s first large-scale affordable housing co-op and a playbook to expand similar projects statewide. Prospera Community Development in Oakland, California, expanding its Spanish-language program, Comunidades Prospera, to empower cooperative entrepreneurship and financial independence. The U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, based in Chicago, Illinois, launching the Win-Win Child Care Initiative to connect unions and worker co-ops in building quality, sustainable childcare businesses.  Together, these awardees are advancing food access, affordable housing, and worker empowerment through innovative cooperative models that strengthen communities nationwide.

    57 min
  3. Stacey Sutton PhD, Connects Cooperatives, Solidarity Economies & Black History Month Tribute 2026

    FEB 3

    Stacey Sutton PhD, Connects Cooperatives, Solidarity Economies & Black History Month Tribute 2026

    January 22, 2026 - During the first segment Vernon interviews Stacey Sutton, PhD., Associate Professor of Urban Planning & Policy at the University of Illinois Chicago. Dr Sutton and Vernon will discuss how cooperatives and solidarity economies can transform cities and advance racial and economic justice. In the second segment Vernon will discuss the relationship between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s moral and economic philosophy, the African humanist principle of Ubuntu, and the role of cooperative economics in advancing what Dr. King described as the Beloved Community.  Stacey Sutton, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois Chicago, where she also directs the Solidarity Economy Research, Policy & Law Project and serves as Director of Applied Research and Strategic Partnerships for UIC’s Social Justice Initiative. Her work focuses on community economic development, economic democracy, worker-owned cooperatives, solidarity economies, and racial and economic justice. Dr. Sutton’s research explores how local governments and grassroots movements can support cooperative ownership and equitable economic systems, as well as how punitive urban policies disproportionately affect marginalized communities. She is the author of research on “cooperative cities” and leads the Real Black Utopias project examining Black-centered solidarity economy ecosystems. Dr. Sutton holds a PhD in Urban Planning and Sociology from Rutgers University, an MBA from New York University, an MS from the New School for Social Research, and a BA from Loyola University.

    55 min
  4. Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductee Lori Capouch Highlights the Role of Cooperatives in Strengthening Rural Communities

    12/22/2025

    Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductee Lori Capouch Highlights the Role of Cooperatives in Strengthening Rural Communities

    September 11, 2025 - This episode continues our celebration of the 2025 Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductees with a special conversation featuring honoree Lori Capouch, former Rural Development Director for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC). Lori reflects on her career and shares lessons from her work in strengthening rural communities—ranging from sustaining grocery stores to expanding childcare and food access. Lori Capouch is a recently retired rural development professional who spent her career helping communities establish the businesses they envisioned. She most recently served as Rural Development Director for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC), where she managed the Rural Electric and Telecommunications Development Center in Mandan, North Dakota. She also led the Rural Development Finance Corporation, a $9 million revolving loan fund that supports rural businesses, and previously directed the North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission, a state agency providing grants for high-risk startup ventures. Beyond her work with NDAREC, Lori provided contracted services to the North Dakota Rural Rehabilitation Corporation and the State Board of Agricultural Research and Education. She was also secretary/treasurer of the Dakotas America governing board, which invests New Market Tax Credits in economically distressed communities nationwide. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the North Dakota Consensus Council. Throughout her career, Lori’s signature efforts focused on strengthening cooperative and nonprofit enterprises in North Dakota’s rural communities, with a particular emphasis on improving food access, sustaining local grocery stores, expanding childcare, and advancing small-scale meat processing. Lori holds a BS in Business Management from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, and is a certified Economic Development Finance Professional through the National Development Council.

    55 min
  5. The ‘Kum Ba Yah’ Spirit in Cooperative Economics:  A Conversation with George C.C. Parker

    12/17/2025

    The ‘Kum Ba Yah’ Spirit in Cooperative Economics:  A Conversation with George C.C. Parker

    November 6, 2025 In this episode of Everything Co-op, Vernon speaks with George G. C. Parker, Dean Witter Distinguished Professor of Finance, Emeritus, at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Together, they examine the “Kum Ba Yah” spirit of cooperative economics, the yin and yang of cooperative and capitalist models, and how the side-by-side coexistence of these two systems can strengthen and improve both. George G.C. Parker is the Dean Witter Distinguished Professor of Finance, Emeritus, at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he has taught in the MBA Program, the MSx Program and executive education since joining the faculty in 1973. He holds an MBA (1962) and PhD (1967) from Stanford, and previously taught finance at Columbia University from 1967-73. Parker’s teaching and research focus on corporate finance, financial institutions management, and corporate governance, and he has authored many case studies and journal articles in these areas. Prior to joining the faculty at Stanford in 1973, Parker was an assistant and associate professor of finance at Columbia University in New York City. Over his distinguished career, he has earned numerous honors including the 2006 Distinguished Teaching Award at Stanford. Parker was the recipient of the 2000 Robert T. Davis Award for Faculty Lifetime Achievement at Stanford Graduate School of Business and the 2006 Distinguished Teaching Award in the Stanford MBA Program. In addition, Parker serves on four boards of directors of listed, publicly traded companies, one mutual fund company, one privately held company, and one nonprofit organization.

    49 min

  6. 12/13/2025

    Mike n Lindsey 11202025 Farm Generations

    November 20, 2025 Everything Co-op launches its spotlight on the 2025 Innovation Award recipients with Michael Parker and Lindsey Lusher Shute, co-founders of Farm Generations Cooperative. In this interview, Michael and Lindsey discuss how Farm Generations empowers its members through GrownBy, their farmer-owned software platform, and how the Innovation Award will help advance their mission. Lindsey Lusher Shute co-founded the National Young Farmers Coalition and served as its executive director for a decade. She is also an owner of Hearty Roots Farm, a diversified vegetable and livestock farm in New York’s Hudson Valley. During her tenure at Young Farmers, Lindsey built a national network of 150,000 farmers and advocates, advancing grassroots efforts around land access, conservation, credit, student debt, and farmer training. She has delivered keynote addresses at conferences nationwide. Michael Parker has built a diverse career spanning agriculture, food, entrepreneurship, and education. A first-generation farmer, he is currently developing a grassfed beef operation in Cooperstown, NY. Mike also works on land access and business services initiatives with the National Young Farmers Coalition and oversees a farm viability grant program and business planning course for the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. He holds a B.S. in Accounting and Operations Information Management from Georgetown University. Farm Generations Cooperative is dedicated to empowering local farmers and fostering transparency throughout the food supply chain. Blending innovative technology with agricultural traditions, the cooperative strives to create a more just and sustainable future for food producers and consumers alike. In 2019, the cooperative launched GrownBy, the first free, farmer-owned software platform designed for local farm sales. By connecting growers directly with customers across the country, GrownBy promotes fair, efficient exchanges and helps small farmers succeed collectively strengthening local communities and building a more resilient agricultural system. The Co-op Innovation Award honors organizations that strengthen food, housing, and worker co-ops. Each year, recipients receive up to $50,000 to expand cooperative development, drive shared prosperity, and build lasting community impact through innovative collaboration.

    52 min
  7. Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductee, Tom Webb Reflects on Advancing Cooperative Education and Global Leadership

    11/05/2025

    Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductee, Tom Webb Reflects on Advancing Cooperative Education and Global Leadership

    September 18, 2025 - This episode of Everything Co-op continues our tribute to the 2025 Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductees with a special conversation featuring Tom Webb. Tom shares insights from his lifelong work advancing cooperative education and global leadership and explores the enduring value and unique advantages of the cooperative business model. Tom Webb’s career spans cooperative sectors in Canada and the United States, from grocery to IT, multistakeholder co-ops to credit unions. His most enduring legacy lies in education, a cornerstone of the Co-operative Identity. As Director of the Extension Department at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Webb recognized the need for a graduate program focused on cooperative management. After years of persistence and collaboration, he established the Master of Management: Co-operatives and Credit Unions (MMCCU) at Saint Mary’s University, now the world’s leading English-language graduate program in cooperative business, offered fully online. The program’s success, built on Webb’s networking and support from co-op leaders in Canada, the U.S., and the UK, laid the foundation for the International Centre for Co-operative Management (ICCM). Today, ICCM offers degrees, certificates, executive training, study tours, and applied research, and is governed by the Co-operative Management Education Co-operative (CMEC), an international multistakeholder co-op with 80 members in 10 countries. Webb also founded the Centre of Excellence in Accounting and Reporting for Co-operatives (CEARC), advancing co-op specific financial and sustainability reporting. Though officially retired, Webb continues teaching, consulting, and writing. His book, From Corporate Globalization to Global Cooperation, captures a lifetime devoted to advancing cooperation. For his lifelong dedication and personification of cooperative values, Tom Webb will be inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame on October 9 in Washington, DC. For tickets visit Heroes.coop website.

    50 min
  8. Randy Lee, Former CFO of PCC Community Markets, Reflects on 5 Decades of Service to the Food Co-op Movement

    10/18/2025

    Randy Lee, Former CFO of PCC Community Markets, Reflects on 5 Decades of Service to the Food Co-op Movement

    September 4, 2025 Randy Lee, former CFO of Puget Consumer Co-op (PCC Community Markets). Randy reflects on his career, share insights from his nearly 50 years in the food co-op sector, and offers his thoughts on the future of food cooperatives. Randy’s journey with PCC began in 1970, when the co-op had just one storefront, 650 members, and $66,000 in revenue. Rising quickly from store manager to CFO, Randy helped transform PCC into the nation’s largest consumer-owned grocer, now serving over 100,000 members across 16 stores with $450 million in annual revenue. His leadership extended beyond finance—he championed farmland preservation, helped launch the Washington Farmland Trust, and supported initiatives that provided 1.5 million meals to communities in need and brought cooking classes to more than 7,000 students. Randy’s vision for cooperation reached beyond PCC. He was a founding member of the National Cooperative Grocers Association (now National Co+op Grocers), where he served on the board for nearly two decades and played a pivotal role in securing groundbreaking purchasing contracts that strengthened co-ops nationwide. For his lifelong dedication and personification of cooperative values, Randy Lee was inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame, October 9, in Washington, DC. For more info visit Heroes.coop

    56 min
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Podcast by Everything Co-op

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