24 Scholarships Awarded to CLS Participants

The Cooperative Development Foundation and NCBA CLUSA will welcome a cohort of 24 cooperators from across the globe - from Elk Grove, CA to Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico - to participate in the Cooperative Leaders and Scholars (CLS) program in Washington, DC in early October.

“As a past participant in the program, I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for this group,” said Cathy Statz, CLS Coordinator. “In addition to meeting leaders across cooperative industries and learning about creative and strategic solutions offered by cooperatives here and abroad, the cohort will build a cross-sectoral group that will support and inspire each other as they continue their cooperative journey.”

The 2022 CLS scholarship recipients are:

• Aria Joughin, MakeWith and Zebra’s Unite Cooperative, Oregon

• Belton Moore, Native American Agriculture Fund, North Carolina

• Chynna Ross, Elizabeth L. Carter, ESQ., LLC, Illinois

• Doan Santiago Izquierdo, League of Cooperatives of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico

• Elissa Bower, Rock City Employee Cooperative, Maine

• Ellery Wealot, Students’ Co-op, Minnesota

• Gabriel Munoz, Carolina Common Enterprise, North Carolina

• Isa Fernandez, UTSA Small Business Development Center, Texas

• Iva Jankovic, British Columbia Co-operative Association and BuddyUp.coop, British Columbia

• Jill Moreland, University of Missouri Graduate Institute of Cooperative Leadership, Missouri

• John Edward Dallas, Interboro Community Land Trust, New York

• John Smith, Rutgers University, New Jersey

• Jose Armando Munguia, California Center for Cooperative Development, California

• Khalif Nunnally-Rivera, ICA Group, New York

• Madeleine Bodden, Black Star Co-op, Texas

• Mary Claire Calma, Courage Home Care Cooperative, California

• Max Scott, Rutgers University, New York

• Mike Seo, Shared Capital Cooperative, Washington

• Millard Locklear, North Carolina

• Nick Quaranto, Charles River Food Co-op, Massachusetts

• Stephen Shelato, Team Co-op, South Carolina

• Teresita Sattar, Courage Home Care Cooperative, California

• Vincent Mao, College Houses, Inc., Texas

• Wally Graeber, Wisconsin

In addition to cross-sector orientation and networking events, CLS participants will attend the Co-op IMPACT Conference, enjoy the Cooperative Hall of Fame celebration, and participate in the Saint Mary’s University International Centre for Co-operative Management’s course on Taking Action on Principle 6: Leveraging Our Collective Potential. “The CLS program offers a wonderful opportunity to engage the co-op leaders of the future,” noted Mary Griffin, Executive Director of CDF. “This country needs innovative cooperators who understand that the challenges of today can only be solved when we work together, across all divides.”