The National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) is pleased to introduce the association’s new Membership Team: Virginia Brown will lead the team as Director of Cooperative Engagement and Member Outreach, and Kiara McGowan is moving into the role of Member Engagement and Data Analyst.
Both Virginia and Kiara bring deep knowledge of the cooperative movement to their new roles, having previously served with NCBA and worked with countless cooperatives. They are excited to lead the association’s work to help more cooperatives capture opportunities during the Year of Co-ops, including spearheading this summer’s P6 Membership Surge.
“I invite the co-op community to join me in welcoming Virginia and Kiara to our Membership Team,” NCBA CLUSA president and CEO Doug O’Brien said. “We are excited to benefit from their passion for cooperatives as we grow our membership base and shape this year’s IMPACT Conference.”
Meet Virginia
Virginia Brown joined NCBA CLUSA’s international programs team in 2014. The more she learned about the trade association and the impact of cooperatives globally and in the U.S., the more she became convinced that advancing the cooperative movement was her real calling. For 10 years, she managed USAID-funded projects that strengthened cooperative businesses and cooperative ecosystems and legislation. Most recently she served as Chief of Party for NCBA CLUSA’s Cooperative Development Program (CDP) project.
“It’s been a privilege to help lead and support NCBA CLUSA’s cooperative development programming for over a decade,” Virginia said. “I take pride in knowing that our work helped strengthen cooperative businesses around the world that continue to have positive impacts on their members and in their communities. I’m grateful for this opportunity to serve NCBA CLUSA and our membership in this new capacity.”
Virginia has a master’s degree in African Studies from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from the University of Richmond. She received a Certificate in Cooperative Management from the International Centre for Cooperative Management at Saint Mary’s University in 2021. She is a proud member of the Fredericksburg Food Co-op in Virginia where she lives with her husband and daughter; and the Fifth Street Brewpub Co-op in Dayton, Ohio where her in-laws live. In her spare time, Virginia likes to jog with her daughter in the stroller, always with the CDF Co-op 5K in mind.
Meet Kiara
Kiara McGowan has worked at NCBA CLUSA for two years, and comes to this role with a shared passion for cooperatives and the P6 model. Kiara previously held the position of Events and Digital Media Coordinator at NCBA CLUSA, recruiting farmers and producers across the U.S. and Puerto Rico to attend webinars and educational seminars through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
A strategist bridging the gap between digital and traditional communications, Kiara’s background includes success in organizing online and offline, in addition to recruitment across multiple sectors, from agriculture to voter registration. Kiara has held previous positions working on Capitol Hill, developing the digital strategy in a U.S. Senator’s office. Before moving to Washington, DC from Richmond, Virginia, Kiara worked in Virginia politics, spearheading in-person and online campaigns, and advising campaigns for the U.S. Senate and State Senate. Prior to working in politics, Kiara was the Communications Director for Virginia Union University.
Kiara holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and an Executive MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University.