Posted by:
Steve Dubb
CDF hosts first annual forum on cooperatives.
The Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF), a charitable foundation whose mission is to raise public awareness and stimulate development of sustainable cooperatives, is convening the The First Annual Cooperative Issues Forum to discuss the role of cooperatives in the U.S. economy—today, and in the future. The Issues Forum, which will be hosted at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., on May 4th, is being held in conjunction with the annual Cooperative Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony that will be held later that day, also at the National Press Club. The United Nations declared 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) and called upon its member countries to use the occasion to raise awareness of the role cooperatives play worldwide in achieving both social and economic development. This Cooperative Issues Forum is the first of CDF’s IYC-related events. There is no charge for this event. However, space is limited and an RSVP is required. Admission to the Hall of Fame dinner requires separate tickets www.heroes.coop.
The Cooperative Issues Forum offers the opportunity to engage a panel of distinguished cooperative leaders in a discussion about the role cooperatives can play in stabilizing and transforming the U.S. economy, as well as an assessment of how core cooperative principles influence operations and decision-making.
Panel members will include:
Scott Aebischer, Senior VP, Customer Service & Product Innovation, HealthPartners. Started as a cooperative over fifty years ago, HealthPartners is the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit health care organization in the nation. It provides care, coverage, research and education to more than 1.3 million people, and covers nearly one-fourth of the residents in Twin Cities metro area.
Bill Cheney, President, CEO & COO, Credit Union National Association (CUNA). Based in Washington, D.C., and Madison, Wisconsin, CUNA is the premier national trade association serving America’s credit unions. In partnership with state credit union leagues, CUNA provides services to credit unions, including representation, information, public relations, continuing professional education, and business development.
Charles Connor, President & CEO, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC). Founded in 1929, NCFC represents approximately 3,000 local farmer cooperatives across the United States, who are members of regional and national farmer cooperatives. Of the two million farmers and ranchers in the U.S., a majority belong to one or more farmer cooperatives. NCFC members also include 26 state and regional councils of cooperatives.
Pete Crear, President & CEO, World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU). WOCCU is the global trade association and development agency for credit unions. Worldwide, more than 49,000 credit unions in 97 countries serve 184 million people. WOCCU advocates for credit union-appropriate legislation and regulation with governments worldwide.
Karen Kulp, President & CEO, Home Care Associates. HCA is a Philadelphia-based, worker-owned cooperative that specializes in compassionate and skilled assistance given by trustworthy aides. HCA has trained and placed more than 1000 people in quality healthcare jobs and currently employs more than 150 workers.
Martin Lowery, Executive VP, External Affairs, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) & Board Chair, National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA). NRECA is a national service organization for more than 900 rural electric cooperatives and public power districts, which provide retail electric service to more than 42 million consumers in 47 states and whose retail sales account for approximately 12 percent of total electricity sales in the United States. NCBA is the the national trade association for cooperatives, representing all types and in all industries.
Charles Snyder, President & CEO of National Consumer Cooperative Bank (NCB). NCB is a federally insured chartered thrift and a wholly owned subsidiary of National Consumer Cooperative Bank, a US government-chartered, member-owned cooperative corporation. Acquired in 1988, NCB is currently a national financial services company with more than $1.6 billion in assets.
Panel Moderated by John R. Whitman, Ph.D.,
Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, The Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship, Babson College