Judy K. Ziewacz
Cooperative Innovator
For more than 40 years, Judy Ziewacz has been a dogged champion for cooperative development with an unswerving belief in the power of cooperation, and has persistently reminded cooperatives and cooperative institutions that they exist to empower people. Her incredible capacity as a strategist has resulted in cross-sectoral coalitions that have created critical infrastructure for the co-op community, domestically and internationally. She has done all of this with integrity and professionalism, engendering trust and respect.
Ziewacz’s clear vision, strategic focus and acumen for organization-building have created a solid track record of accomplishments that have enriched our cooperative community. She was a driving force behind favorable state and federal legislation and policies that were enacted to empower people through diverse cooperative enterprises.
Ziewacz was instrumental in launching the nation’s first statewide cooperative development center—now known as Cooperative Development Services. She also played a key role in establishing CooperationWorks!, a national cooperative development network responsible for the creation of hundreds of co-ops, thousands of jobs, and serving hundreds of thousands of members. As the executive director of the Cooperative Development Foundation, she led the charge for the creation of dotCoop, an important branding tool for cooperatives online.
Through her work as a cooperative innovator, anchor cooperative institutions have been strengthened and their focus and support for cooperative development renewed.
The Cooperative Hall of Fame is administered by the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF), the 501(c)(3) non-profit affiliate of NCBA CLUSA. Nominations are received annually from throughout the cooperative community, with the final selection made by the NCBA CLUSA Board of Directors on the recommendation of a selection committee of national cooperative leaders.
The Cooperative Hall of Fame gallery is on display at NCBA CLUSA headquarters in Washington, D.C., and can also be viewed online at www.heroes.coop. For Hall of Fame dinner attendance or sponsorship information, call CDF at (202) 383-5445 or email cdurand@cdf.coop.