We are an all-volunteer organization in the early stages of development. Our leaders are a small-but-mighty group of organizers operating fluidly as a “round table” with outside advisors and subcommittees. We are recruiting more organizers and subcommittee members: join us to learn more!
Organizers
(In alphabetical order)
Dennis (he/they). Dennis is a queer trans man living in Wisconsin. He is a leatherworker and plans to launch his online shop in 2023.”
Elizabeth (she/her). Elizabeth is a jack of all trades, master of none at crafting and in life, picking up skills here and there following her neurodivergent brain. While she doesn’t have a shop currently, her partner and she plan on publishing their website in 2023.
James (he/him). James is a woodworker, metal fabricator and proud Chicagoan making handmade furniture and home accessories. He started his business, Gokojo, back in 2013 as a side hustle. Within 6 months he left his day job to run the business full time and hasn’t looked back since. When not covered in sawdust at his shop you’ll probably find him cooking in his kitchen and if he’s not there he’s probably at the dive bar down the street. Find him on Etsy.
Marc (he/him). Marc Gueselin is a UX Designer & Accessibility-Focused Software Engineer currently based in France. Find him on LinkedIn, GitHub, and his website.
Mastress (they/them). Mastress is a grassroots community organizer with the Workers Revolutionary Collective focused on systemically humanizing and liberating themselves and others. As a skilled facilitator, multi-disciplinary artist, healer, teacher, visionary, and warrior of love and truth, Mastress is committed to quitting capitalism and getting free to thrive.
Meira (she /they). Meira AKA Siren is an herbalist, freelance digital artist, writer, and editor for Optopia Zine and moderator for Sunbeam.city. You can find their shop on Gumroad.
Olga (she/her). Olga is a data nerd studying worker cooperatives by day and a hatmaker by night! She loves sewing almost anything but specializes in 5 and 6 panel hats in her shop, Bean Bros Handmade.
Pauline (she/her). Pauline has Etsy selling experience and prefers to remain private at this time.
Rindert (he/him). Back in 1988 Rindert, currently living in Portland, OR, emigrated from the Netherlands to the USA and had a career in engineering and marketing in the high tech industry. After retiring from this career he started a small woodworking lifestyle business making various iPhone accessories, and currently focuses on wooden mason and spice jars tops. Over the last 10 years he had over 7000 transactions on Etsy and over 5000 transactions on other channels including wholesale. Find his shop Schuttenworks on Etsy.
Ryn (she/they). Ryn AKA Jirachi is a freelance digital artist and illustrator. They are the proud owner of Tired Fox Art where they sell merchandise of their work. She is one of the organizers for the Artisans Cooperative where she hones her skills drawing chickens.
Thera (she/her). Miss Thera is an Educator, Artist and Playwright as well as a passionate neurodiversity advocate. Her shop Atypically Artistic is her safe place to express herself freely without the confines of neurotypical expectations. She is also a Marketing and Communications Director and Consultant and loves the creativity that goes into communicating beyond words. She has worked with multiple non-profits over the past decade as an administrator and board director and is thrilled to be bringing her experience and knowledge to the team.
Valerie (she/her). Valerie has over 20 years professional experience as a non-profit director, event planner, project manager for multi-million dollar renewable energy projects, and most importantly, 14 years running an artisan business as one-half of the husband-and-wife leathercrafting business, Walnut Studiolo. She is also a freelance writer. Find her on Medium or LinkedIn.
Advisors
(In alphabetical order)
Danny Spitzberg, Exit to Community Collective (he/him). Danny leads user experience research for a cooperative economy. He has been lead researcher at ownership conversion collective Exit to Community, staffing co-op Turning Basin Labs, and digital services co-op CoLab. Find him on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Medium.
Rachel M Walls, Trunk of My Car (she/her). Founder – Trunk of My Car Cooperative; Maryland licensed attorney; MFA student at Pacific University; Writer; Nature Whisperer; a Soul Whose Intentions are Good…
Shavon Prophet, ICA Group (she/her). Shavon is the Program Director for MassCEO and an Employee Ownership Advocate at ICA Group, the oldest US national organization dedicated to the development of worker cooperatives. Find her on LinkedIn and the ICA Group.