NCBA CLUSA is pleased to announce the candidates running for election to the association’s 2026 Board of Directors: Cornelius Blanding, Juan Fernández, James Hunter, Esteban Kelly and Emma McCormick.
The online election will open on March 10 and close on April 7; during this period, eligible NCBA CLUSA members will be able to cast their votes. Eligible voters are Cooperative Members that have joined or renewed their 2026 memberships. Lifetime members are also eligible to vote. Current members are available to view on this list. To confirm your membership eligibility status, send a message with the subject line “Voting Member Eligibility” to membership@ncba.coop.
Each eligible cooperative member can designate one staff member to serve as the voting member for their organization.
Update your voting contact here
Election results will be announced at NCBA CLUSA’s Annual Membership Meeting & Virtual Town Hall, scheduled for May 5, 2026 in Washington, DC. Your participation helps us set the strategic vision for the organization, ensuring that NCBA CLUSA remains a dynamic voice in the cooperative space.
Learn more about this year’s candidates below.
Cornelius Blanding
Executive Director
Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund
Cornelius Blanding began his career in development work as an economic development intern for the Florida Department of Commerce assigned to the City of Miami Beach and since then has gained a broad experience base including rural, international and cooperative economic development.
His experience includes business and project development, management and marketing. Blanding has over 29 years of experience serving Black farmers, landowners and limited resource cooperatives as well as rural communities in the South and internationally. He has worked as a small business development and management consultant, manager of a multi-million-dollar revolving loan fund, domestic and international project director, Director of Field Operations & Special Projects, Deputy Director and has been serving as the Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund since 2015.
Cornelius has also served and continues to serve on various boards and committees, including the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Farm & Forest Carbon Solutions Task Force; Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance Steering Committee; Socially Disadvantaged Farmers & Ranchers Policy Research Center’s Advisory Board; Nationwide’s Board Council; NCBA CLUSA’s Board of Directors; Cooperative Development Foundation’s Board of Directors; Agricultural Safety & Health Council of America; Southeast Climate Consortium; Presbyterian Committee on the Self Development of People; USDA State Emergency Board (Georgia); and a Blue Ribbon Panel for the Duke Endowment’s Rural Church Program.
Read Cornelius’ Candidate Statement
Juan Fernández
President & CEO
Luminate
Juan Fernández is the President and CEO of the Credit Union Association of Louisiana (Luminate), and was previously the President and CEO of the Credit Union Association of New Mexico. In these roles, he is the first Latino to serve as a state league president in the credit union industry and has used his platform to help credit unions reach deeper into Latino communities and empower emerging Latino leaders in the industry.
His work in cooperatives began early in life, working as a teller at a credit union while pursuing his college education. Juan has worked in credit unions and cooperatives for over 20 years, and in four states (NY, NM, WA and LA) and Puerto Rico. During that time, he has embraced and exemplified the cooperative principles. Across those 2+ decades, Juan has worked in community development, membership development, leadership, strategy, government affairs and financial wellness. He is a passionate, mission-driven leader who believes in the potential of cooperatives as the solution to the complex problems of our economy.
In his career, he has championed community development and attained the Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) designation in 2009. He has tirelessly worked to empower credit unions to serve the underserved. He has used his personal background and experiences to help credit unions better fulfill the needs of Latino, immigrant and low-income populations. He is an adept political strategist and has used that to advocate for strong and resilient policies for the credit union movement at the local, state and federal level. Juan’s ability to secure the passage of comprehensive legislation is the result of his knack for building coalitions, forging relationships and driving effective change across political and ideological lines.
Juan believes the superpower of cooperatives are our principles, and he is passionate about creating collaboration among cooperatives across industries. He has volunteered for his local food cooperative, La Montanita Co-op, and served as their treasurer for several years, providing him insights into the challenges faced by another cooperative industry. He has worked for or with credit unions in Louisiana, New Mexico, Washington, New York and Puerto Rico, equipping him with valuable perspective of the challenges faced across different communities and different regions of the country.
Juan was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and is very passionate about helping cooperatives reach Latino, immigrant and communities of color. Juan received his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Binghamton University and his MBA from Western Governors University.
Read Juan’s Candidate Statement
James Hunter
Chief Advocacy and Culture Officer
New Orleans Firemen’s Federal Credit Union
James Hunter is a cooperative finance leader and governance strategist dedicated to advancing economic inclusion through the credit union movement. Serving in senior leadership at New Orleans Firemen’s Federal Credit Union, James has built a career centered on strengthening Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFls) and expanding access to capital in under-resourced communities.
With extensive experience in cooperative finance, James has supported credit unions across the U.S. and internationally, including work in Canada, the Caribbean and Africa. His efforts have focused on governance development, leadership training, strategic planning, and strengthening small and emerging credit unions to ensure long-term sustainability. He approaches cooperative development not simply as a financial model, but as a framework for economic empowerment rooted in shared ownership and democratic control.
James is a board member of lnclusiv, the national CDFI intermediary for credit unions, where he contributes to advancing financial inclusion and supporting mission-driven institutions nationwide. He also serves as board chair of Habitat for Humanity St. Tammany West in Louisiana, where he guides governance strategy and organizational growth. In addition, he serves as executive director of a nonprofit organization, bringing hands-on experience in executive leadership, fiduciary oversight and mission alignment.
Throughout his career, James has demonstrated a deep commitment to the cooperative principles and values, particularly cooperation among cooperatives, education and training, and concern for community. His leadership bridges local impact and global perspective, positioning him as a collaborative voice capable of strengthening the cooperative movement across sectors.
James believes cooperatives are essential infrastructure for building a more inclusive and equitable economy. His work continues to focus on aligning governance, leadership development, and community investment to ensure the cooperative model remains strong, innovative and responsive to the needs of communities it serves.
Read James’ Candidate Statement
Esteban Kelly
Executive Director
U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives
Esteban Kelly is Executive Director of the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, where he works to expand economic democracy through mutualist forms of solidarity and collective ownership. He foregrounds political education, systemic thinking, futurism and workplace democracy into his organizing and leadership. In 2010, he co-founded AORTA (Anti-Oppression Resource & Training Alliance), a worker co-op devoted to strengthening movements for social justice and a solidarity economy by building the capacity of leaders, projects, co-ops and other value-aligned organizations through education, facilitation and consulting. More recently, Esteban founded Guilded, a multi-stakeholder freelancer co-op that processes invoices and guarantees timely payment to freelance members while providing benefits to 1099 workers.
Formally introduced to cooperatives in the 1990s as an undergraduate in the student housing co-ops at UC Berkeley, Esteban started organizing co-ops across Canada and the U.S. with the North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO) after graduating. He was inducted into NASCO’s Cooperative Hall of Fame in 2011, in recognition of his 10 years of service—including seven years on their board and three years working as their Director of Education and Training.
A co-founder and first board president of the regional cross-sector Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance (PACA), Esteban previously worked as Development Director and then Staff Director for the New Economy Coalition (formerly the think-tank known as “New Economics Institute”). From 2009-2011, Esteban served as Vice President of the USFWC, and a board member of the Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI). He was also on the boards of the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) and the U.S. Solidarity Economy Network (SEN). He has served on the board of NCBA CLUSA since 2011, and as an officer on the executive committee since 2020. Esteban is an advisor to many leaders and organizations, including the Platform Co-ops Consortium and the Climate & Community Institute.
Esteban is a 2021 Ford Global Fellow, a Margaret Burroughs Fellow in the Social Justice Portals Project at University of Illinois-Chicago, an Executive Fellow of the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing at Rutgers University, and a Futures 4 Good Fellow in the Equitable Enterprise Initiative at the Institute for the Future.
Rooted in Philadelphia, Esteban managed a major food co-op transition in his eight years as a manager at Mariposa Food Co-op. He rebooted the co-op’s governance process and bylaws, and served on its first board of directors in over two decades. He was a two-term mayoral appointee to the Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council (FPAC), which offers advice for municipal policy and best practices that promote food access, sovereignty and sustainability, and just labor practices for farm and food workers. In 2018, Esteban won a Philadelphia Social Innovation Award for Public Policy. Having left his housing co-op after 12 years of active leadership, Esteban enjoys urban gardening at a home he shares with two cats and two daughters.
Read Esteban’s Candidate Statement
Emma McCormick
Senior Director of Engagement
National Farmers Union
Emma McCormick is the Senior Director of Engagement at the National Farmers Union (NFU). NFU’s mission is to advocate for family farmers, ranchers and their communities through education, cooperation and legislation.
Originally from California, Emma earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from San Francisco State University and went on to teach high school in Oxnard. Emma’s passion for education brought her to Washington, DC, where she pursued a Master’s of Education Technology Leadership & Instructional Design at George Washington University. Emma uses her skills to produce educational programming and trainings that help NFU members better understand farm business management and the cooperative business model.
In her personal life, Emma enjoys taking advantage of the free museums in Washington, DC, traveling and running.