Make sure to tune into WOL 1450 AM, 95.9 FM and WOL Livestream on Thursday, July 18 at 10:30 am EDT for “Everything Co-op,” hosted by Vernon Oakes. This week, Vernon will interview Alex Stone, Executive Director of CooperationWorks! (CW), a national network of co-op developers working across co-op sectors in all 50 states. Alex and Vernon will discuss her cooperative journey and how CooperationWorks! provides services and support to new and growing co-ops.
CooperationWorks! is a national network of cooperative development centers that offers a range of services, including board training, business planning, feasibility analysis, and education. This support helps co-ops thrive and contribute to their communities.
Alex Stone has been the Executive Director of CW since early 2016. She first became involved with co-ops through student housing co-ops at UC Berkeley, where she lived for three years and participated as a house-level manager and board member. She was deeply involved with the creation of the Berkeley Student Food Collective and served as the store’s first Operations Manager through its first two years. Alex co-founded the Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive and coordinated its first training involving over twenty students from seven universities across the West Coast. As Executive Director of CW, she has grown the network, undertaken a redesign of its flagship training for cooperative developers, and cultivated deep ties across the cooperative movement in the U.S.