Tune in to WOL 1450 AM, 95.9 FM and WOL Livestream on May 25 at 10:30 am EDT for Everything Co-op, hosted by Vernon Oakes. This week Julian McKinley, Senior Communications Director at the Democracy At Work Institute (DAWI), discusses DAWI’s work with the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives to track, measure and support worker co-ops through research. McKinley will also preview the launch next week of DAWI’s bi-annual census, which will provide 10 years of worker co-op data for the first time in history.
Julian McKinley leads DAWI’s communications initiatives in support of its work to expand worker ownership. He is a passionate and mission-driven storyteller with deep roots in community empowerment and economic development, previously leading organizational storytelling and strategic communications around community and systems-level economic change at United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut and Capital Institute.Julian began his career as a community news editor in Connecticut, where he founded and managed operations of multiple hyperlocal news websites. Julian is also a certified Master Composter and founder of Rockaway Waste Ed, a community organization helping local nonprofits and community gardens divert food waste, rebuild soil, and increase access to nutrient-dense food through compost management, education, and consultation. He lives in the Rockaways, Queens, New York, and holds a bachelor’s in communications from Springfield College (Mass.).