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Everything Co-op with Vernon Oakes: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Everything Co-op
Podcast by Everything Co-op
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- 2 days ago53 min
Adria Powell, Peggy Powell & Rick Surpin discuss the Legacy of CHCA, and the Power of Cooperative Homecare
October 15, 2026 This episode features an interview with Adria Powell, President and CEO of Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA), and Peggy Powell and Rick Surpin, CHCA co-founders. Vernon and his guests discuss the evolution of CHCA and the important role cooperative home care associations play in addressing homecare issues today. They also explore how CHCA’s worker-owned model advances quality care, worker empowerment, and dignified employment in the home care industry, and the future of cooperative home care. Adria Powell is President and CEO of Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA), the nation’s first worker-owned home care cooperative, co-founded in 1985 by her mother, Peggy Powell, and Rick Surpin. She assumed the role in January 2017, following her service as Executive Vice President. Adria oversees CHCA’s operations, training and workforce development, finance, quality performance, and clinical services. She leads the cooperative’s strategic planning and growth, with a focus on delivering high-quality care, supporting worker-owners, and investing in the home care workforce. She also advocates for adequate funding to support the cost of home care services and collaborates with 1199SEIU to advance the interests of home care workers. Peggy Powell is Senior Advisor at PHI, where she leads initiatives to strengthen the direct care workforce through innovative recruitment, training, and career advancement strategies. She also advocates for public policies that support workforce development in long-term care. As co-founder of Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA), Peggy helped advance a model that prioritizes worker empowerment and dignity. Since PHI’s founding, she has contributed expertise in organizational planning, training, and workforce development. She is nationally recognized for her work in adult learner-centered education and has co-authored numerous PHI curricula and training resources. Rick Surpin is the co-founder of Cooperative Home Care Associates and served as its first president from 1985 to 2000. He founded a second related organization, Independence Care System, in 1997 and served as its president from 2000 to 2020. Independence Care System was a Medicaid-funded managed long-term care plan focused on serving adults with physical disabilities. The plan closed in 2019.
- 4 days ago53 min
Dr. Lerone Martin Explores Dr King’s Legacy Through Cooperativism
October 22, 2026 This week's Dr. Lerone A. Martin, the Martin Luther King, Jr., Centennial Professor in Religious Studies and Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University is the featured guest. Vernon and Dr. Martin explore how Dr. King’s legacy of social justice, economic empowerment, and collective action connects to the cooperative movement and its mission to build stronger communities. Dr. Martin is an award-winning author and scholar whose research examines African American religion, history, and politics. His 2023 book, The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover: How the FBI Aided and Abetted the Rise of White Christian Nationalism, published by Princeton University Press, received praise from numerous publications. His earlier book, Preaching on Wax: The Phonograph and the Making of Modern African American Religion (2014), received the American Society of Church History’s First Book Award. Dr. Martin has received prestigious fellowships from organizations including the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Council of Learned Societies. He is also Co-Director of the Crossroads Project, a four-year, multi-institution initiative supported by a $1 million Henry Luce Foundation grant to advance public understanding of African American religions. His commentary has appeared on NBC, PBS, and The History Channel, as well as in The New York Times and other major publications. He also serves as Senior Editor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project and advises an upcoming PBS documentary series on gospel music and preaching.
- 5 days ago57 min
Dominique Morisseau: Where Black Stories Community, and Cooperativism Meet
October 22, 2026 This week’s episode features Dominique Morisseau, an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and television producer. Vernon and Dominique explore the Kwanzaa principle of Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) and its connection to cooperativism and cooperative economics, themes that are reflected throughout her plays. Dominique Morisseau’s work explores the experiences of African American communities and the socioeconomic forces that shape their lives. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, she draws on her lived experiences and historical knowledge to reveal the humanity behind pivotal moments in Black communities. Dominique earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in acting from the University of Michigan in 2000. Morisseau is the author of The Detroit Project, a three-play cycle comprising Detroit ’67, Paradise Blue, and Skeleton Crew. Her other acclaimed plays include Pipeline, Sunset Baby, Blood at the Root, and Confederates. She also wrote the book for the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations. Her work extends to television and film. She served as a co-producer on the Showtime series Shameless and wrote the film adaptation of the documentary STEP. Her numerous honors include two Obie Awards, NAACP Image Awards, the Ford Art of Change Fellowship, and the 2018 MacArthur Fellowship. In 2023, she received the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize.
- Oct 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.
- Oct 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.
- Oct 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.
- Oct 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.
- Sep 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.
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