Cooperative IMPACT Conference Archive

Health equity is a major challenge and Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin (GHC SCW) is working on a plan to address it using five steps identified by the Institute for Health Care Improvement “Achieving Health Equity: A Guide for Health Care Organizations.” Of particular significance is the GHC commitment to reduce the infant mortality rate among black women in Dane County, Wisconsin.

Panelist: Dr. Mark Huth, President and CEO, Group Health Cooperative
Panelist: Carrie O’Dell, Chief HR Officer, Group Health Cooperative
Panelist: Ann Hoyt, Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison 

Co-ops can’t be racist, right? Our first principle is about open membership, and we believe in and practice democracy. But what happens when co-ops exist in racist societies? How do we recognize the ways that our co-ops perpetuate institutional racism and engage in racist micro-aggressions and exclusion? Co-op Hall of Fame 2016 inductee Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, Ph.D., addresses these questions and discusses historic as well as current challenges to achieving racial equity in the U.S. co-op movement.

Keynote speaker: Jessica Gordon Nembhard, Professor, Community Justice and Social Economic Development, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York

Leaders from multiple cooperative sectors gather to discuss the state of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in our country and in our cooperative movement. This panel will follow an IMPACT DEI town hall session, during which conference attendees will engage through an interactive platform to share their own thoughts and experiences on the following: “Why is it so hard to talk about race, racism and racial justice in this country today?” “What barriers to DEI have they or their organizations encountered?” and “What steps should NCBA CLUSA and the co-op community take to advance DEI?” Panelist will discuss how they advance DEI within their sectors and how they raise awareness, stimulate conversations and forge actionable practices. What panelists share ultimately will paint a vivid picture of the concrete steps needed to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in our cooperative movement.

Moderator: John Holdsclaw IV, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, National Cooperative Bank
Moderator: Doug O’Brien, President and CEO, NCBA CLUSA
Panelist: Monica Davy, Director, Office of Minority and Women Inclusion, National Credit Union Administration
Panelist: Maurice Smith, CEO, Local Government Federal Credit Union
Panelist: Faye Tate, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, CoBank
Panelist: Gina Schaefer: Founder and CEO, A Few Cool Hardware Stores

Federal, state and local policies enabled the formation and growth of cooperatives that turned the lights on in rural America, housed workers and their families in high cost urban areas and provided financing for agricultural producers and financial services for wage earners. This panel will look at what new policies could jump start cooperative development and expansion to address contemporary issues.

Moderator: Doug O’Brien, President and CEO, NCBA CLUSA 
Panelist: Diane Gasaway, Executive Director, Northwest Cooperative Development Center 
Panelist: Brett Theodos, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute 
Panelist: Monica Rainge, Director, Land Retention and Advocacy, Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund

Speaker: Tom Ivey, Communications Officer, DotCoop Enterprises

During this session, Michele Padilla and Lisa Cavanaugh will explore what it means (and doesn’t mean) to have the privilege and how privilege can be turned into allyship that moves us from intention to action regardless of the type of privilege experienced or discrimination faced. The session will include an activity on recognizing privilege without judgment and resources for those who wish to shift from observers to allies of targets of discrimination and unearned disadvantage.

Speaker: Lisa Cavanaugh, Vice President of Leadership Development Experiences, FCC Services

Speaker: Michele Padilla, Director & Senior Leadership Consultant, FCC Services