Our MissionThrough our cutting edge research and our many diverse programs, The Democracy Collaborative works to carry out a vision of a new economic system where shared ownership and control creates more equitable and inclusive outcomes, fosters ecological sustainability, and promotes flourishing democratic and community life. We are a national leader in equitable, inclusive and sustainable development through our Community Wealth Building Initiative. This initiative sustains a wide range of Advisory, Research and Field Building activities designed to transform the practice of community/economic development in the United States. We also host the Next System Project, ongoing intellectual work designed to connect Community Wealth Building to the larger context of systemic economic transformation.Our staff and associates are involved in a wide range of projects involving research, training, policy development, and community-focused work designed to promote an asset-based paradigm of economic development and increase support for transformative strategies among community stakeholders, anchor institutions, and key policymakers. As the premier innovator and leading national voice in the field of Community Wealth Building, we are known for our research and advisory services, as well as informing public policy, promoting new models and strategies, and establishing metrics to advance the field.The Democracy CollaborativeTDC_c38a2b4c-f3f7-11e8-8b2f-477523fabdf0The Democracy Collaborative BoardAllan HendersonTDC Board Chair; Co-founder of GHJ Consulting -- Allan Henderson is principal and co-founder of GHJ Consulting, a small, international management consultancy. He has been consulting organizations—large and small, public and private, charitable and profit-making—on four continents for 26 years. He works especially in extended engagements helping leadership and management to focus on long-term concerns and to implement transformational change in their organizations.Tamara CopelandTDC Board Member; President of the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers -- As Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers (WRAG) President, Tamara Copeland is the organization’s major thought leader, helping to envision and implement work that meets the needs of the sector and of the region. She came to WRAG with extensive experience in nonprofit management, policy and children’s issues having led Voices for America’s Children, the National Health & Education Consortium, and the Infant Mortality Initiative of Southern Governors’ Association and Southern Legislative Conference as well as having been Congressman Bobby Scott’s (D-VA) Legislative Director.Dayna L. CunninghamTDC Board Member; Access Strategies Fund Board Member; Executive Director of the Community Innovators Lab at MIT -- Dayna L. Cunningham is an Access Strategies Fund board member and Executive Director of the Community Innovators Lab at MIT.CoLab is a center of research and practice within the MIT Department of Urban Planning. Combining on-the-ground planning and development expertise of DUSP faculty and students with local community knowledge, CoLab helps community residents and leaders create innovative experiments and living examples that address urban sustainability challenges.Mary EmenyTDC Board Member; Chair of the Tecovas Foundation -- Mary Emeny grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, but with strong roots and many visits to the Amarillo area where her grandfather first arrived in 1880. The Frying Pan Ranch, which he bought on behalf of his father-in-law, is still in the family with Mary overseeing her family's half of the original ranch. It took her 35 years to actually move there.Stephanie McHenryTDC Board Member; Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for Business Affairs & Finance, Cleveland State University -- Stephanie McHenry is the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for Business Affairs & Finance at Cleveland State University (CSU). In this capacity, she oversees critical university functions including finance, information systems & technology, capital planning, campus safety, facilities management, purchasing and human resources. Located on 85 acres in the heart of downtown Cleveland, CSU has nine colleges and more than 200 academic programs serving 17,000 students. With an annual budget of $300 million, total assets were $700 million on June 30, 2016. She also serves as the President of the Euclid Avenue Development Corporation, a nonprofit, public benefit corporation, operating for the benefit of Cleveland State University in the capacity of student housing and parking facilities with assets of $100 million. She has been an administrator at Cleveland State since March 2011, and served on its board by appointment of Governor Ted Strickland from 2007 – 2011.Charles McNeillTDC Board Member; Senior Adviser of Forests and Climate for the Sustainable Development Group of the United Nations Development Programme -- Charles McNeill is the Senior Adviser of Forests and Climate for the Sustainable Development Group of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Dr. McNeill holds a PhD in Genetics, with a focus on conservation biology, University of California, Davis. He has held several academic posts addressing a range of environmental and development issues, and has worked with the non-governmental sector on hunger eradication and sustainable development programs in South Asia and Africa.Walter WrightTDC Board Member; Program Manager for Economic Inclusion, Cleveland State University Levin College of Urban Affairs -- Walter Wright is the program manager for economic inclusion at Cleveland State University Levin College of Urban Affairs, where he is working to increase opportunities for residents through the Greater University Circle initiative. He has worked for 23 years in community development, most recently as a project director at the Cleveland Foundation. Prior to joining the foundation, he worked as a senior program officer at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, and as the director of economic development at the Tremont West Development Corporation. The Democracy Collaborative TeamTed HowardPresident & Co-Founder -- Ted Howard is the Co-founder and President of The Democracy Collaborative. Previously, he served as the Executive Director of the National Center for Economic Alternatives.In July 2010, Ted was appointed the Steven Minter Senior Fellow for Social Justice at The Cleveland Foundation, a position he held for four years. Working with the Foundation, he was a member of a team that developed the comprehensive job creation and wealth building strategy which resulted in the Evergreen Cooperative Initiative.Ted lectures frequently about community wealth building, most recently at the Clinton Global Initiative-America, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, the Co-operatives United World Conference (Manchester, England), various regional Federal Reserve Banks, as well as at universities including the University of Pennsylvania, Yale, MIT, Georgetown, Oberlin, Michigan State and the Ohio State University.Gar AlperovitzCo-Founder, The Democracy Collaborative and Co-Chair, Next System Project -- Gar Alperovitz has had a distinguished career as a historian, political economist, activist, writer, and government official. For fifteen years, he was the Lionel R. Bauman Professor of Political Economy at the University of Maryland, and is a former Fellow of Kings College, Cambridge University; Harvard’s Institute of Politics; the Institute for Policy Studies; and a Guest Scholar at the Brookings Institution.Gar is the author of critically acclaimed books on the atomic bomb and atomic diplomacy. As a well known policy expert, he has testified before numerous Congressional committees and lectures widely around the country.Among his many achievements is having been the architect of the first modern steel industry attempt at worker ownership in Youngstown, Ohio. In addition, Gar was nominated to be a member of the Council of Economic Advisers by leading national consumer, labor, and environmental organizations.Marjorie KellyExecutive Vice President & Senior Fellow -- Marjorie Kelly is the Senior Fellow and Executive Vice President of The Democracy Collaborative, a non-profit research organization founded in 2000. Marjorie is lead author of the new report, “A New Anchor Mission for a New Century: Community foundations deploying all resources to build community wealth,” which profiles an “Innovative 30” community foundations pursuing impact investing and economic development strategies. The report was recently featured in Stanford Social Innovative Review, Forbes, and elsewhere. Marjorie is also a consultant with the current “Community Foundation Circle,” a peer learning project for 14 foundations interested in adopting impact investing strategies. Marjorie is Project Director of The Learning/Action Lab for Community Wealth Building, a year-long collaboration spearheaded by The Democracy Collaborative and supported by the Northwest Area Foundation. She is also an Associate Fellow at the Tellus Institute, a 35- year old nonprofit research organization based in Boston. Marjorie advises private businesses on ownership and capital design for social mission. Marjorie is also on the Advisory Board of Boston Public Bank Working Group. Additionally, she is on the National Board of Advisors for CUNY School of Law's Community Economic Development Clinic.Ronnie GalvinVice President of Engaged Practice -- Ronnie Galvin has committed his life’s work to community building, community organizing, and social change. Most recently he worked at the Center for Community Change in Washington, DC where he served as Sr. Advisor on the Center’s Reinvestment Team, with a focus on building grassroots and national power that can amplify a demand for massive reinvestments in Black communities that have been traumatized by the American political economy. Ronnie was specifically tasked with organizing Black faith leaders, theological thinkers, and spiritual practitioners to help shape moral imagination and inspire movement building energy in support of the Reinvestment Team’s work. Prior to his work at CCC Ronnie served as the Executive Director for Impact Silver Spring—a non-profit focused on building neighborhood based networks that advance collective well-being and community and economic development. Earlier in his career Ronnie also served as Senior Community Builder with the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s place-based team in Atlanta, Georgia. In this role he worked to build mutually beneficial partnerships and capacity building projects to support family strengthening and community development efforts.Joe GuinanExecutive Director, Next System Project & Senior Fellow -- Joe Guinan is a Senior Fellow at The Democracy Collaborative and Executive Director of the Next System Project. Having first worked with Gar Alperovitz and The Democracy Collaborative ten years earlier, he returned in 2012 to help design, launch and implement the Collaborative’s work on alternative political-economic systems. A former journalist, he was previously a program director at the Aspen Institute and a fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and has served as a consultant to the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation.Valerie PiperVice President of Special Projects -- Valerie Piper is the Vice President of Special Projects at The Democracy Collaborative, where she oversees and provides strategic coherence and direction to TDC's community wealth building projects and services across the country, including direct consulting and advisory services with cities and institutions, cohort learning and engagement with anchor institutions, practitioner resources and toolkits, and advancing and documenting best practices in community wealth building programs. From 2011 to 2017, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where she led the development and launch of President Obama’s Promise Zones Initiative, a cross-agency and cross-sector effort to accelerate place-based inclusive economic and community development, as well as leading the creation of new interagency initiatives like the Small Contractor Initiative, the Rural Community Capital Initiatives, and the Community Development Marketplace.Gus SpethDistinguished Fellow & Co-Chair, Next System Project -- James Gustave "Gus" Speth joined the faculty of the Vermont Law School as Professor of Law in 2010. In addition to his position as Senior Fellow at the Democracy Collaborative, he is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos and Associate Fellow at the Tellus Institute. In 2009 he completed his decade-long tenure as Dean, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. From 1993 to 1999, Gus was Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and chair of the UN Development Group.Felipe BarrosoSenior Associate -- Felipe Barroso joined The Democracy Collaborative’s Healthcare Engagement team on January 2018. As a Senior Associate, Felipe helps hospitals and health systems leverage their business practices, such as hiring, purchasing, and investment, to support inclusive, sustainable communities through their participation in the Healthcare Anchor Network. The network represents $150 billion in investment assets, $50 billion in annual purchasing power, and over 1 million employees across 30+ leading health systems across the U.S.Johanna BozuwaResearch Associate -- Johanna joins the Democracy Collaborative as a Research Associate. Her research focuses on transitioning from the extractive, fossil fuel economy and building towards resilient and equitable communities based on energy democracy.Dana BrownDeputy Director, The Next System Project -- Dana comes to the Democracy Collaborative with 15 years of experience in community organizing, project management and human rights advocacy. She has worked throughout the US, Latin America and the Middle East supporting communities organized in resistance to neoliberal economic reforms, imperialism and structural violence. She joined the Democracy Collaborative in 2015 for the launch of the Next System Teach-Ins drawing on her experience with the Democracy Teach-Ins of the 90s and other popular education efforts related to the peace and social justice movements she has participated in for the last two decades.John DudaDirector of Communications -- John Duda started working for the Democracy Collaborative as Communications Coordinator in 2011. He holds a B.A. in linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master's degree in Logic from the Universiteit van Amsterdam, and a PhD in Intellectual History from Johns Hopkins University, where his dissertation examined the genealogy of the idea of "self-organization" in politics and the sciences.Danny Fisher-BrunsSenior Associate, Advisory Services -- Danny is a facilitator, educator, and organizational change leader. As a Senior Associate for Advisory Services, he has the great pleasure of working with communities across the country to unlock solutions to challenging and deeply rooted systemic challenges. Prior to joining The Democracy Collaborative, Danny worked with Seattle Children's Hospital, as a Sustainability Fellow and later as a consultant, to build the foundations of inclusive, place-based ... Will FlagleResearch Associate -- Will Flagle first worked with the Democracy Collaborative in the summer of 2015 as a Junior Research Fellow conducting research on regionalism in the United States before returning as a Research Assistant in 2016. He received a B.A. in political science from Grinnell College and a master of public affairs from the University of Texas, at Austin. Academically, Will has enjoyed researching movements for shorter hours, guaranteed annual income proposals, worker cooperatives, and the Solidarity Economy.Martin FreemanSenior Associate, Healthcare Engagement -- In the Engaged Practice Division; Martin manages relationships with a diverse array of stakeholders including senior leaders of executive, corporate, and nonprofit institutions. Currently, Martin provides strategic support to the Healthcare Anchor Network--a network representing $150 billion in investment assets, $50 billion in annual purchasing power, and over 1 million employees across 30+ leading health systems across the United States.Stephanie GellerResearch Specialist, Community Wealth Building -- Stephanie Geller has served as a Research Specialist for the Democracy Collaborative since 2012.Peter GowanPolicy Associate -- Peter Gowan joined the Democracy Collaborative in June 2018 and now works as a Policy Associate. He is a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin with a dual-major BA in History and Political Science, and recently completed an M.A. in Political Communications at Dublin City University.Jarrid GreenSenior Research Associate -- Jarrid Green joined the Democracy Collaborative as Research Associate in March 2016 after three years at the Center for Social Inclusion (CSI), a national public policy strategy organization based in New York that aims to dismantle structural racial inequity. At CSI, Jarrid provided research, policy analysis, advocacy, partnerships and administrative support across CSI’s programs. Jarrid also authored two case studies profiling cooperative ownership in the sustainable energy sector including a profile on the worker-owned solar installation company, Namaste Solar, ...Thomas HannaDirector of Research -- Thomas M. Hanna joined The Democracy Collaborative in 2010 as a research assistant to Gar Alperovitz and became Research Director in 2015. He received his M.A. and B.A. degrees in History from Virginia Commonwealth University.Talia JaffeProgram Associate, Advisory Services -- Talia Jaffe joined the Democracy Collaborative Advisory Services team in August 2018, where she works with communities across the country to find creative solutions to system-level inequities. Talia comes to TDC from the University of Rochester where she graduated in May 2018 with a BA in religion and anthropology, as well as a Certificate in stage management. There she explored the ritualization of social justice in the Reform Jewish Movement through the lense of collective memory and inherited trauma.Jackline KamazimaOffice Administrator -- Jackline Kamazima joined the Democracy Collaborative as an Office Administrator for the D.C. office in September 2017. Prior to she was a Case Manager for the Urban League of Westchester County, Inc. and an Executive Secretary for the New York Tanzanian Community, Inc. (NYTC), where she also served as a board member. She has a Bachelors of Arts in Social Justice Studies from Miami University of Oxford, Ohio.Edward KamonjohDirector, 2° Lending Network -- Edward Kamonjoh is the Director of the 2° Lending Network. Prior to that Edward served as Executive Director for the 50/50 Climate Resource Project, as well as the head of U.S. Strategic Research and Analysis at ISS. Edward previously headed ISS’ ESG Research team and was a member of ISS’ Global Policy Setting Board.Erin KeslerSenior Communications Associate -- Erin Kesler works to promote the Democracy Collaborative's work as a Senior Communications Associate. Before joining our staff, she managed press outreach for the Center for Progressive Reform, a network of over 50 progressive legal scholars expert in the regulatory process. Erin worked with the scholars to educate the public about threats to environmental, public health and worker health and safety standards and edited the organization's blog.Rhonda ColemanManager, Administration, Accounting and HR -- Joining the Democracy Collaborative in December 2011, Rhonda Coleman serves as Operations Director and Executive Assistant to Ted Howard. Before her time here, she spent 15 years in administration with the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and more recently, two years as a health program coordinator/director with the Lorain County Urban League. Rhonda has a long history with various, local non-profit organizations including serving on the boards of the Lorain County Community Action Agency, the Oberlin Race Relations Committee, Parents for Public Schools and others.Sarah McKinleyManager, Community Development Programs & Next System Project, European Representative -- Sarah McKinley is Manager of Community Development Programs for The Democracy Collaborative and the European Representative for the Next System Project, working out of her home-office in Brussels, Belgium. She manages the Learning/Action Lab for Community Wealth Building, a multi-year initiative supported by the Northwest Area Foundation, assisting five organizations in Indian Country to create social enterprises and employee-owned companies. She co-authored Cities Building Community Wealth, The Anchor Dashboard: Aligning Institutional Practice to Meet Low-Income Community Needs, and Raising Student Voices: Student Action for University Community Investment.Katie ParkerSenior Research Associate -- Katie Parker joined The Democracy Collaborative in 2014 and works as a Senior Research Associate. Her work has focused on how hospitals and health systems can leverage their business practices, such as hiring, purchasing, and investment, to support inclusive economic development. She is co-author of the Hospitals Aligned for Healthy Communities toolkit series and conducts research on promising practices in the field of anchor institution strategies.Bich Ha PhamSenior Communications Associate -- Bich Ha Pham is a policy, advocacy, and communications professional with experience in developing and executing strategic advocacy and communications plans that generated significant press coverage, awareness, and policy change for lower-income individuals and communities.Bich Ha is a Senior Communications Associate with the Democracy Collaborative, where she works on communications and advocacy for various initiatives including the Healthcare Anchor Network. Bich Ha previously worked on a number of exciting projects, including the path-breaking campaign that resulted in New York City support for worker cooperatives, as well as the community wealth building policy work at the NYC Public Advocate's office as Director of Policy. Bich Ha’s previous roles also included being the Executive Director of the Hunger Action Network of NYS and the Policy Director at FPWA.Isaiah J. PooleEditorial Manager, The Next System Project -- Isaiah J. Poole joined the Democracy Collaborative in 2018 as editorial manager for The Next System Project. He was previously communications director for People’s Action and for the Campaign for America’s Future, where his responsibilities included serving as editor for the organization’s website and blog, OurFuture.org.Justine PorterManager of Advisory Services -- Justine Porter is a social enterprise operations professional with experience in creating and implementing social programs and a passion for finding systems-level solutions to inequality through community building and resident engagement.Jessica (Bonanno) RoseChief Financial Officer & Director, Employee Ownership Programs -- Jessica Rose is a national employee ownership business strategist, who focuses on the unique role of capital to drive scale. She advises cities, grant-makers, and investors on cutting-edge models to expand economic opportunity through employee ownership and is deeply involved in the research and development of innovative, on-the ground employee-owned business development and financing models.Sonia SarkarConsultant, Healthcare Engagement Team -- Sonia Sarkar joined the Democracy Collaborative as Consultant to the Healthcare Engagement Team in May 2018. She most recently served as Chief Policy and Engagement Officer for the Baltimore City Health Department, overseeing multi-stakeholder community engagement, strategic planning, policy activities, and population health initiatives to address health inequity throughout the City. Previously, she was Director of Provider Solutions at AVIA, a health system-led innovation accelerator, where she worked directly with hospital executive leadership to identify and incentivize innovations in patient care.Adam SimpsonProgram Associate, The Next System Project -- Adam Simpson joined The Democracy Collaborative as a Program Associate with the Next System Project in October 2016. He has a Master’s Degree in Middle East Studies from the American University in Cairo, where he focused on understanding authoritarian institutions and popular movements.Carla SkandierResearch Associate, Next System Project -- Carla Skandier joined The Democracy Collaborative as a Research Associate with the Next System Project in October 2015 having completed a LLM (Master of Laws)'s degree in Energy from Vermont Law School in 2015. She has a background in international environmental law, climate change, renewable energy and sustainable development, particularly in developing countries as Brazil and China.Emily SladekManager for Higher Education Engagement -- Emily joined the Democracy Collaborative in November 2015. She leads the Collaborative's higher education programming and manages the Anchor Dashboard Learning Cohort program. In 2018 she formed a strategic partnership with the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities, known as the Higher Education Anchor Mission Initiative that includes over 30 public and private universities and colleges from across North America.Sarah StranahanSenior Editorial Associate -- Sarah Stranahan has dedicated her career to community organizing, democracy reform, social change philanthropy, and mission-driven finance and investing. As a long time board member of the Needmor Fund, she helped design and oversee grant program in support of community organizing and an integrated mission related investment program.De'Sean WeberProgram Associate, Advisory Services -- De'Sean Weber is a Program Associate with Advisory Services. Leveraging his background in community organizing, racial equity, and anthropology, De’Sean supports ongoing place-based community wealth building projects. Prior to working at the Democracy Collaborative, De'Sean was as an Emerson National Hunger Fellow at the Congressional Hunger Center, where he worked at the Jersey City Department of Health and Human Services and Prosperity Now in Washington, D.C. to create equitable economic system change responsive to community needs.Lauren WorthProgram Associate, Healthcare Engagement -- Lauren Worth joined the Democracy Collaborative in May of 2017 as Program Associate, Healthcare Engagement team, where she works with hospitals and health systems to improve community well-being by building inclusive and sustainable local economies.David ZuckermanDirector, Healthcare Engagement -- David Zuckerman joined The Democracy Collaborative team in 2012 and serves as Director for Healthcare Engagement. David leads the coordination of the Healthcare Anchor Network—a health system-led collaboration focused on improving community health and well-being by building inclusive and sustainable local economies. The Network includes more than 25 health systems to date.Shared ownership and control creates more equitable and inclusive outcomes, fosters ecological sustainability, and promotes flourishing democratic and community life._c38a2dea-f3f7-11e8-8b2f-477523fabdf0To catalyze the transformation of our economy, working to build community wealth and create a next system anchored in democratic ownership_c38a2fb6-f3f7-11e8-8b2f-477523fabdf0CapitalBroaden ownership and stewardship over capital_c38a311e-f3f7-11e8-8b2f-477523fabdf01_c38a32b8-f3f7-11e8-8b2f-477523fabdf0WorkplacesFoster democracy at the workplace_c38a35ba-f3f7-11e8-8b2f-477523fabdf02_c38a3718-f3f7-11e8-8b2f-477523fabdf0Community & LocalityStabilize community and emphasize locality_c38a3894-f3f7-11e8-8b2f-477523fabdf03_c38a3a4c-f3f7-11e8-8b2f-477523fabdf0GrowthFoster equitable and inclusive growth_c38a3ba0-f3f7-11e8-8b2f-477523fabdf04_c38a3d1c-f3f7-11e8-8b2f-477523fabdf0SustainabilityFoster environmental, social, and institutional sustainability_c38a3e7a-f3f7-11e8-8b2f-477523fabdf05_c38a3fd8-f3f7-11e8-8b2f-477523fabdf02018-11-29https://democracycollaborative.org/content/our-missionOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net