CDF welcomes the 2026 Cooperative Leaders and Scholars Cohort

The Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) is honored to welcome the new cohort of the Cooperative Leaders and Scholars (CLS) Fellowship –– a dynamic group of 22 emerging leaders committed to strengthening the cooperative business community across North America.

The 2026 cohort represents a wide range of cooperative ownership types and industries –– including credit unions, worker, food, housing, utilities, and agricultural cooperatives –– and reflects deep talent and passion that is shaping the future of the cooperative movement.

By engaging in virtual programming, in-person convenings, and a collaborative capstone project, Fellows gain the skills, relationships, and experience needed to build an economy that works for all. “As CDF dedicates itself to increasing the number, diversity, and capacity of cooperators, we are thrilled to welcome this year’s cohort of emerging leaders. We are deeply committed to investing in the individuals who make this people-powered, economic model so strong,” said Julie Bosland, Executive Director of CDF. “And as the Fellowship invests in them, they enrich us and the broader co-op business community around us.”  

The 2026 fellows are:

·         Antonio, SOMOS Mayfair

·         Kayla, CHS, Inc.

·         Jan, COSIANI

·         Lisa, CFC

·         Alyssa, Kindred Futures

·         William, Students’ Co-op and NASCO

·         Maria, Good Neighbors Credit Union

·         Gabriel, Cooperativa de Vivienda la Torre de Sofía

·         Ebony, Art.coop

·         Mo, Black Humboldt Cooperative

·         Lydia, Common Shares

·         Maggie, Bottomlands Agricultural Cooperative and Sprout

·         Abby, Spartan Housing Cooperative

·         Rosalba, Black Zócalo Worker Collective LLC

·         Luna, Indiana Center for Cooperative Development and IUYA

·         Talia, Local Enterprise Assistance Fund

·         Karina, Democracy at Work Institute

·         Caroline, Weaver Street Market

·         Charlie, Initiative for Cooperatives and Civic Innovation at UC Davis

·         Alex, Community Purchasing Alliance

·         Caleb, CultivAction Coopérative de Solidarité

·         Elizabeth, Wisconsin Farmers Union

“CLS was created to attract, engage, and retain talent in the cooperative business community while strengthening cross-sector collaboration early on in leaders’ careers,” said Kirstie Boyette, CDF Deputy Director and CLS co-coordinator. “Fellows are selected through a competitive process and welcomed into a growing alumni network that continues to mentor, collaborate, and champion CLS and cooperatives long after their fellowship concludes.”

For the first time, CLS alumni played a role in selecting the next cohort of fellows. Thank you to Nicole Borner, Trillium Cooperative; Mathew Forth, Keystone Development Center; Nina Stender, Democracy at Work Institute; and Naomi Thompkins, Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund for their work in helping to shape this year’s cohort.

“An earlier iteration of CLS was a key cross-sectoral networking accelerator for me, early in my own career,” noted Cathy Statz, CLS co-coordinator. “It is so rewarding to see this generation of cooperators stepping up into leadership and engagement—and to see the cooperative movement continuing to support this important effort.”

Thank you to CoBank, TruStage, Nationwide Foundation, Do Well to Do Good Fund, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and individual cooperators for ensuring that our fellows have access to CLS.

CDF congratulates the 2026 CLS Fellows and looks forward to supporting their journey and the collective impact they will have on the cooperative economy.