Everything Co-op with Vernon Oakes

Hosted by Everything Co-op

BusinessExplicit

Website RSS feed

Episodes

450

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

About the show

Podcast by Everything Co-op

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 8, 202653 min

Co-op Hall of Fame Tribute: Honoring Kevin Still's Cooperative Legacy

September 3, 2026 This episode continues our tribute to the 2026 Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductees with a special conversation featuring Kevin Still, cooperative leader and agricultural innovator. Vernon and Kevin discuss his cooperative journey and his leadership in growing cooperative enterprises, serving farmers, developing people, and strengthening rural communities. Kevin Still’s cooperative journey began growing up on a farm in west-central Illinois and working for a farmer-owned cooperative early in his career. He went on to become President and CEO of Keystone Cooperative, Inc., where his leadership helped guide the integration of nine cooperatives and transform Keystone into a major agricultural cooperative serving more than 20,000 farmer-members across Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois. Under Still’s leadership, Keystone expanded its services in agronomy, fuels and propane, swine and animal nutrition, and grain marketing, while growing from 35 employees to approximately 2,000. His approach to cooperative leadership has emphasized strategic growth, innovative governance, strong financial management, and developing employees who can carry the cooperative forward. Still has also provided significant leadership to the broader agricultural cooperative system through his 23 years of board service with CoBank, where he has served as chair since 2020. He has been active with the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) and other agricultural and cooperative organizations. A 46-year veteran of the cooperative movement, Still has been recognized for his contributions to cooperative business, agricultural policy, education, and rural communities. His commitment to giving back is reflected in Keystone’s support for agricultural education, food security, and farm and energy safety initiatives.

October 8, 202654 min

Co-op Hall of Fame Tribute: Honoring Crystal Long's Cooperative Legacy

September 17, 2026 This episode continues our tribute to the 2026 Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductees with a special conversation featuring Crystal Long, past President and Chief Executive Officer of GECU in El Paso, Texas. Vernon and Crystal discuss her cooperative journey, leadership, and commitment to serving her members and community. During her tenure as CEO, Long led GECU to become El Paso’s largest federally insured, independently owned financial institution, with more than $4.4 billion in assets, 25 branches, more than 800 employees, and over 439,000 member-owners. A strong advocate for community service, Long has served on numerous local, national, and international boards and committees, including the Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the United Way of El Paso, the Borderplex Alliance, and the Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions. She has also been actively involved in efforts addressing financial health, food insecurity, and community development. Long’s leadership and service have earned numerous honors, including the 2024 Greg Inman Servant Leadership Award, the 2024 Credit Union Making History: Herstory recognition, the Junior Achievement of El Paso Business Hall of Fame, the Credit Union House Hall of Fame, and the Herb Wegner Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement. She was also recognized as a Distinguished Alumna by the University of Texas at El Paso.

October 8, 202654 min

Jessica Gordon Nembhard Honors the Cooperative Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer

October 1, 2026 This episode continues our tribute to the 2026 Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductees with a special conversation featuring Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Ph.D., Professor at John Jay College and social justice advocate. Dr. Gordon Nembhard discusses the life and legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer, who will be posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame as an Unsung Hero, including Hamer's commitment to cooperative economic development. Dr. Gordon Nembhard and Vernon also discuss how Fannie Lou Hamer's legacy lives on today. Fannie Lou Hamer was a powerful civil rights and voting rights leader who also recognized economic independence as essential to community empowerment. In 1969, she established the Freedom Farm Cooperative in Sunflower County, Mississippi, purchasing 40 acres to create a cooperative farming project. The initiative sought to provide food, land, and economic opportunity for Black families in the Mississippi Delta. The Freedom Farm Cooperative became an important expression of Hamer's belief that political freedom and economic self-determination were interconnected. Dr. Jessica Gordon-Nembhard is the author of Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice, and a 2016 inductee into the U.S. Cooperative Hall of Fame. A political economist specializing in cooperative economics, community economic development, racial wealth inequality, and Black Political Economy, she is a Professor at John Jay College, City University of New York. Dr. Gordon-Nembhard is also a member of the Cooperative Economics Council of NCBA/CLUSA and the ICA Committee on Co-operative Research, an affiliate scholar with the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives at the University of Saskatchewan, and a past board member of the Association of Cooperative Educators.

October 8, 202655 min

Co-op Hall of Fame Tribute: Honoring Mike Toelle's Cooperative Legacy

September 24, 2026 This episode continues our tribute to the 2026 Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductees with a special conversation featuring Mike Toelle. Vernon and Mike discuss his leadership in the creation and growth of CHS, the role of education and innovation in strengthening the cooperative system, and his cooperative journey. For more than 40 years, Mike Toelle has dedicated his time, energy, and vision to supporting cooperatives—from the farm fields of Minnesota to the international stage. A lifelong farmer and committed cooperative leader, Mike began his career with Harvest States Cooperatives before returning to his family farm and becoming one of the youngest directors elected to the Cenex Inc. Board of Directors. He later served on the core committee that helped create CHS Inc. in 1998 through the merger of Harvest States Cooperatives and Cenex. Mike went on to lead the boards of both CHS and the CHS Foundation, championing innovation, cooperative education, and the importance of connecting local cooperative leadership with the broader agricultural community. His leadership has extended beyond CHS to Cooperative Network, the Agriculture Council of America, CF Industries, and CIBO. Today, Mike serves as vice-chair of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, where he draws on his extensive experience in cooperative leadership, risk management, regulatory issues, and monetary policy.

September 8, 202650 min

Co-op Hall of Fame Tribute: Honoring Margaret Bau's Cooperative Legacy

August 27, 2026 This episode launches Everything Co-op's tribute to the 2026 Cooperative Hall of Fame Inductees with a special conversation featuring Margaret Bau, a legendary figure in rural economic development who spent a decades-long career at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Vernon and Margaret discuss her cooperative journey and the lasting impact of her work to expand cooperative development, strengthen communities, and create economic opportunities across the country. After discovering the power of cooperatives during her Peace Corps service in Costa Rica, Bau joined the USDA just as its Rural Development program was forming. She started as a state-level cooperative development specialist in Wisconsin, where her unconventional approach expanded the agency’s reach far beyond traditional agriculture. Throughout her career, Bau has been a powerhouse of community impact, delivering incredible stats: o Incorporated more than 40 cooperatives. o Trained over 500 cooperative development specialists. o Presented to over 9,000 conference and meeting attendees nationwide. One of her most notable achievements came in 2001, when she helped found Cooperative Care, the first new worker-owned home care cooperative organized in 15 years. Her quiet persistence replication model transformed this single grassroots effort into a massive movement. Today, that model has grown to include 25 worker-owned home care cooperatives across 12 states. Recognized by peers as a "national treasure," Bau has bridged the gap between federal resources and local needs, leaving a lasting legacy across the U.S. and Canadian co-op ecosystems.

September 4, 202648 min

Vernon Oakes Road to Cooperation: A Lifetime of Learning

August 13, 2026 Vernon Oakes takes listeners on a personal journey through the experiences that shaped him into the cooperative advocate and leader, he is today. Rather than simply reflecting on a distinguished career, Vernon shares how each chapter of his life became a steppingstone that ultimately led him to embrace the cooperative business model and dedicate himself to advancing it. From teaching mathematics at York College and marketing at Howard University, to leading Cummins de Puerto Rico and launching his own property management company after discovering a passion for real estate, each experience provided valuable lessons in leadership, education, and community. It was while managing a limited equity housing cooperative that Vernon first encountered the cooperative business model. True to his analytical nature and lifelong love of research, he immersed himself in learning everything he could about cooperatives. What began as a professional responsibility soon became a personal passion. Vernon also reflects on the people, experiences, and principles that transformed not only his approach to management and leadership, but also his vision for building stronger businesses and more resilient communities through cooperation, and the importance of how cooperation can be used to impact lives. Vernon Oakes is a dedicated advocate for cooperatives who was inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame in 2024. He is the Past President of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives and has served on numerous boards and committees advancing cooperative interests. His contributions also extend to the Limited Equity Cooperative Task Force, initiated by Anita Bonds, an At-Large Member of the Council of the District of Columbia. As an MBA graduate of Stanford University, Vernon has applied his business expertise to serve the community, championing the benefits of the cooperative business model.

July 19, 202652 min

Journalism, Housing Justice & Building Stronger Communities with Steve Dubb, Shelterforce Editor

July 9, 2026 In this segment, Vernon welcomes Steve Dubb, Strategic Initiatives Editor at Shelterforce, an independent nonprofit newsroom that has spent five decades reporting on affordable housing, community development, and housing justice. Together, Vernon and Steve will explore how independent journalism helps shape public understanding of affordable housing challenges, elevates community voices, and informs policies that promote equitable, sustainable, and cooperative approaches to building stronger communities. Before joining Shelterforce, Steve Dubb served as Senior Editor of Economic Justice at Nonprofit Quarterly. Prior to that, he worked at The Democracy Collaborative, where he authored, co-authored, and edited numerous reports, facilitated national learning cohorts, and helped advance the growing field of community wealth building. Earlier in his career, Steve served as Executive Director of NASCO (North American Students of Cooperation), a U.S. and Canadian association of housing cooperatives that supports cooperative housing and leadership development on college campuses. Steve has authored and edited numerous books on community wealth, economic justice, and democratic ownership. Most recently, he co-edited (with Raymond Foxworth) Invisible No More: Voices from Native America (Island Press, 2023), a collection highlighting Indigenous perspectives on economic and community development. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Steve remains actively engaged in local economic justice initiatives through his volunteer work with several community organizations. Founded more than 50 years ago, Shelterforce is a trusted nonprofit news organization dedicated to advancing healthy, equitable communities. Through in-depth reporting and partnerships with readers, practitioners, and other newsrooms, Shelterforce provides timely analysis of affordable housing, housing justice, community organizing, and community development—equipping advocates, policymakers, and community leaders with the information needed to create lasting, positive change.

July 19, 202656 min

Tony Pickett on Cooperative Housing & Doug O'Brien on America's 250th Through a Cooperative Lens

July 2, 2026 In this segment, Vernon interviews Tony Pickett, Chief Executive Officer of Grounded Solutions Network. Vernon and Tony will explore how community land trusts and shared equity housing are creating pathways to affordable homeownership and stronger, more resilient communities. Before Vernon's conversation with Tony Pickett Vernon welcomes Doug O'Brien for a timely discussion on his article, At 250 and Beyond – Cooperatives’ Role in Our American Story, exploring how cooperatives have strengthened communities and democracy throughout our nation's history. With more than 35 years of experience in community development, Tony has been a leading voice in creating permanently affordable housing, advancing equitable housing policies, and expanding the use of community land trusts to promote racial and economic equity. Under his leadership, Grounded Solutions has launched several nationally recognized initiatives, including the Catalytic Land Cohort, ForEveryoneHome, and Homes for the Future, which combine public, philanthropic, and private investment to preserve affordable homeownership opportunities in growing communities. Tony also serves on the boards of the Up for Growth Coalition, the Center for CLT Innovation, and the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, and is a founding member of the National Community Development CEOs of Color Circle. A graduate of the Cornell University School of Architecture, Art and Planning, he is a passionate advocate for holistic, equitable community development. Doug O'Brien is President and CEO of the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA), where he leads the organization's efforts to advance the cooperative business model in the United States and around the world. Since joining NCBA CLUSA in 2016, Doug has helped strengthen the cooperative community's impact on businesses, families, and local economies, serving as Executive Vice President of Programs before becoming President and CEO in 2018. Prior to NCBA CLUSA, Doug led the work of the White House Rural Council and held senior leadership positions with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, overseeing programs that supported rural communities nationwide. He has also served in the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, and for two state governors. A native of a family farm in Iowa, Doug holds degrees from Loras College, the University of Iowa College of Law, and the University of Arkansas. His lifelong commitment to cooperative principles continues to shape his work advancing community-centered economic development.

July 10, 202651 min

Vernon Oakes discusses Men's Health and the Power of Cooperatives

June 25, 2026 In this segment, Vernon explore the connection between cooperatives and men's health, highlighting how cooperative principles can help address the social isolation, economic challenges, and lack of support systems that often affect men's physical and mental well-being. He also discusses health disparities between men of color as compared to those who are not of color. June is Men's Health Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the health challenges facing men and encouraging them to take proactive steps toward better physical and mental health. As conversations around Men's Mental Health Month continue to grow, Vernon closes out the month with a discussion about how cooperatives create opportunities for connection, shared responsibility, mutual support, and community engagement—factors that can play an important role in improving men's overall health and quality of life. This year's Men's Health Month theme, "Partners in Care: Advancing Men's Health Through Connection, Education, and Advocacy Across the Lifespan—for Better Lifespans," emphasizes that men's health is not an individual responsibility alone. The theme highlights the important role that families, friends, workplaces, healthcare providers, and communities play in supporting men's physical, emotional, and mental well-being throughout every stage of life. Vernon Oakes is a dedicated advocate for cooperatives who was inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame in 2024. He is the Past President of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives and has served on numerous boards and committees advancing cooperative interests. His contributions also extend to the Limited Equity Cooperative Task Force, initiated by Anita Bonds, an At-Large Member of the Council of the District of Columbia. As an MBA graduate of Stanford University, Vernon has applied his business expertise to serve the community, championing the benefits of the cooperative business model.

June 22, 202652 min

Nathan Schneider discusses Progress & Prospects for Cooperatives in Using Artificial Intelligence

June 18, 2026 This episode features an interview with Nathan Schneider, professor of media studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. Vernon and Nathan discuss the current progress and prospects for cooperatives in Artificial Intelligence, and explores ways in which cooperatives can navigate the rise of AI without losing control of their intellectual property. Nathan Schneider is a professor of media studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he directs the Media Economies Design Lab and engages deeply with his students. He has authored books on topics such as online democracy, cooperative enterprise, the Occupy movement, and God, and has edited works on crypto and co-ops. His prolific writing includes articles for both magazines and academic journals, reflecting his commitment to chronicling ideas and exploring the potential of perfect worlds and ordinary imaginations in practice. Schneider views every word as a hypothesis and a test, acutely aware that even the most casual remark contributes to the irrevocable construction of our world. Working with others to build a democratic economy keeps him grounded and accountable.

Is this your show?

Claim this listing to keep it up to date, reach guests who want to pitch you, and manage bookings with Guestify.

Claim this listing

More Business podcasts

Business Of Weather | Weather Intelligence For Improved Decision Making

BusinessTechnology

Domain Details Page

BusinessInvesting

The Bottom Line

Alexander Spencer

BusinessInterviews guests