PACA Board Candidates 2021
This year, there are four (4) candidates for three (3) board seats. These candidates, along with their statements, are listed below in alphabetical order by last name.
PACA uses OpaVote for our Single Transferable Voting (STV) for our elections. Here is a long blog post about what STV is and here is a short video. Designated representatives from PACA member co-ops may vote for up to four of these candidates by rank choice. If you have any questions about the voting process and who your co-ops designated rep is, please email nominations@philadelphia.coop.
Voting will begin on November 10, 2021 and close on December 9 2021.
Candidate statements can be found below in the following order.
Terrell D. Cannon, HHA, CNA, MHS
CANDIDATE STATEMENTS
Terrell D. Cannon, HHA, CNA, MHS
Home Care Associates
Please tell us about your current co-op involvement.
- Name(s) of co-op(s) you belong to: Home Care Associates
- How long you’ve been a member: 26 years
- Are you an active member of your co-op? Yes
What roles have you served in co-ops, nonprofits, or other membership organizations (Board, staff, etc.)? I have been a worker owner for 26 years and am the Director of Training, Manager for all co-op programs at HCA (Community Ambassador, Mentor Program, Policy Action group, On Boarding Members etc.) Board of Director, Secretary of the Board and Director for Co-op Training.
Why are cooperatives important to you and to the Philadelphia area? Knowledge of Co-ops are a rarity in the Philadelphia Area. Cooperatives are the difference in how people can succeed in their career and life. Cooperatives value, educate, and put the worker first, thus allowing a co-op member to understand finances and gain financial stability, to be educated and part of the change in the industry, and to understand and become stockholders. Working in a Co-op is more than a job; we become leaders/mentors, have continuous career/growth opportunities and make major decisions for our company/organizations.
How will your experience, skills or unique perspectives strengthen the PACA Board? My experience will provide added value and direction to existing and new perspectives regarding the Co-op difference.
Where do you see the cooperative economy growing, do you have a vision for the short term and long term (in 5 years, in 30 years)? In 5 years I believe the Co-op will gain a connecting network that drives employees and consumers to diversify how they seek and purchase goods/services. In 10 years Co-ops will begin to be the way of the world, Co-ops will be connected thus connecting goods/services.
As you think about the three primary board member functions-ambassador, advocate, and asker-in which role(s) do you think you will want to be most active? Fortunately I am active in all functions. I believe in order to fully drive my co-op I must perform all functions aggressively whenever applicable.
How do you view the board’s role in a cooperative organization? The boards role is the key function to the Co-Op. The board is your co-op members who will bring diversity, challenge and direction to the Co-op.
Chad Hooper
South Philly Food Co-op
Please tell us about your current co-op involvement.
- Name(s) of co-op(s) you belong to: South Philly Food Co-op, Kensington Community Food Co-op, City Market-Onion River Co-op
- How long you’ve been a member: Since 2018, 2021, and 2010 respectively
- Are you an active member of your co-op? Yes
What roles have you served in co-ops, nonprofits, or other membership organizations (Board, staff, etc.)? In board roles, I’ve served as an at-Large director, Board Treasurer, and Board President. On staff, I’ve served as an Executive Director, CFO, Controller, and as a board-management relationship consultant. As a frontline worker, I’ve served as the designated employee representative to the board of directors in a nonprofit. Currently, I am the ED of a membership-based nonprofit.
Why are cooperatives important to you and to the Philadelphia area? Cooperative enterprises are important to me because they are the only feasible model to lead us away from the inequalities and perverse incentives embedded within capitalism. When we discuss tenant rights or collective bargaining, we are accepting an adversarial system where power lies with those who own property. In the cooperative model, the rewards and risks of business or property ownership are shared among those directly impacted. Philosophically, I prefer a path that implicitly fosters collaboration and shared responsibility. In the Philadelphia area, cooperatives are incredibly important! We are a city with stark examples of inequality but where it isn’t too late to intervene and create paths for wealth creation and economic development for our city’s longtime residents, many of whom struggle economically in a system intentionally designed to keep them poor and out of power.
How will your experience, skills or unique perspectives strengthen the PACA Board? Admittedly, my experiences with cooperative economics began and remains in food co-ops which is an area where PACA is and has been well skilled. I am an expert in nonprofit governance, board-staff relations, leadership development, and have access to policymakers and lawmakers in DC which may benefit PACA as it transitions in executive leadership. I would also bring more than a dozen years of experience as a senior leader within the federal government and as a forensic accountant. From an advocacy perspective, as the president of Philadelphia’s newest food co-op, I will also bring a fresh view on how co-ops need to do better and live their principles more completely.
Where do you see the cooperative economy growing, do you have a vision for the short term and long term (in 5 years, in 30 years)? In the near term, I believe the future is in worker and housing co-ops. The pandemic brought to light the fragility of the area’s small businesses, particularly restaurants though no one is unscathed. With the right funding advocacy, workers have a unique opportunity to take control of these businesses and make them work for themselves. Housing inequality and the inaccessibility of home ownership to entire generations really can only lead to a future where renters collectivize property rights through housing cooperative formation. In the long term, I would love to see private sector employee unions fall by the wayside and instead see those workers bargain over the terms of converting their workplaces into worker cooperatives.
As you think about the three primary board member functions-ambassador, advocate, and asker-in which role(s) do you think you will want to be most active? I don’t view these roles as distinctly different and would be equally active in all three roles. I am a career advocate and desire above all else to make change in our community. That can only happen if PACA has the resources it needs to form and support co-ops in our area, if our community and leaders understand the cooperative model and its benefits, and if members of our community are engaged and have access to information and education about the benefits of ownership.
How do you view the board’s role in a cooperative organization? A board’s primary role is to represent the interests of member-owners of the cooperative, ensure the cooperative is effectively led, and the board has specific fiduciary and legal responsibilities when it comes to oversight. Apart from that, I view board service as supportive. When I serve on a board, it’s in service to the organization’s staff and not the other way around.
Brad Forbes
Life Center Association Housing Co-op
Please tell us about your current co-op involvement.
- Name(s) of co-op(s) you belong to: Life Center Association
- How long you’ve been a member: ~9 years
- Are you an active member of your co-op? Yes
What roles have you served in co-ops, nonprofits, or other membership organizations (Board, staff, etc.)?
Life Center Association– Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President PACA: Board Member, Vice President, Policy and Advocacy Circle Co-Facilitator.
Why are cooperatives important to you and to the Philadelphia area? Cooperatives mean self reliance and a freedom from an existence that bends at the whim of the capitalist class. If we are ever to achieve our goals of true security and freedom, we must step into the paradigm of owning our own, and holding the reins of our interests first-hand
How will your experience, skills or unique perspectives strengthen the PACA Board? My experience on the PACA Board has helped me understand where and how the organization’s various parts want to move. It has allowed me to recognize avenues to meet the various stakeholders where they are. I believe that the experience and skills I have accumulated over my time in the cooperative movement have blessed me with insight into ways of harmonizing the various stakeholder groups that comprise PACA, such that we can maximize our collective impact in supporting and growing our region’s cooperative economy
Where do you see the cooperative economy growing, do you have a vision for the short term and long term (in 5 years, in 30 years)? I see the cooperative economy grossing inward… developing the fabric of an independent economy based on Real Value (as opposed to Currency aka Nominal Value). We will significantly curtail the influence of the capitalist class on our local well being.
As you think about the three primary board member functions-ambassador, advocate, and asker-in which role(s) do you think you will want to be most active? Advocate. I believe my most applicable strengths lie in the tasks of framing the discussion and targeting the narratives to shape the landscape of the discourses around these issues.
How do you view the board’s role in a cooperative organization? The board of a cooperative organization is to recognize and care for the interests of the stakeholders and guide the organization into harmony with those interests. A primary component of this function then is a robust apparatus of communication with the stakeholders and accountability structures to indeed take account of the Board’s efforts in caring for their interests.
Jess Levy
Mariposa Food Co-op
Please tell us about your current co-op involvement.
- Name(s) of co-op(s) you belong to:
Mariposa Co-op, The Energy Co-op
- How long you’ve been a member:
Mariposa = about 10 years, The Energy Co-op = 1 year
- Are you an active member of your co-op?
Both are consumer co-ops. I’m active as a consumer.
What roles have you served in co-ops, nonprofits, or other membership organizations (Board, staff, etc.)?
- I have been in nonprofit staff roles since 1998 – working as an educator, organizer, and coordinator, as well as designing and managing education and community programs.
- I founded and ran a business, The Blue Door Group, which was co-managed by the owners.
- I co-founded the Philadelphia Trainers’ Collaborative – a skill-sharing and networking space for facilitators and trainers that ran for four years
- I was also involved for many years with a local giving circle that supported social change efforts; I have lived in several cooperative houses; and I have been a member of the Chester Avenue Community Garden for over 5 years.
Why are cooperatives important to you and to the Philadelphia area? I’m excited about PACA’s vision for a “creative, expansive, and liberatory” future. I see PACA and its member co-ops working for that future through tangible strategies and models of cooperative enterprise and collective wealth creation. Our future depends on our ability to advance sustainable ways of living, just economies, and the leadership of people who have historically been marginalized. We need all voices, right now, working on behalf of our most vulnerable communities and ecosystems and modelling a different way forward. I see co-ops doing that
How will your experience, skills or unique perspectives strengthen the PACA Board? I bring experience:
- As a resident of West and Southwest Philadelphia for over 10 years
- Having worked in and with a wide variety of Philadelphia-area nonprofits, social change organizations, academic institutions, and social impact businesses
- As a professional facilitator, educator, and trainer who has designed and led teambuilding, strategic planning, and visioning processes for groups
- Teaching and organizing with immigrant communities
- Developing plain English materials and presentation for limited English proficiency and low-literacy audiences
- Learning about and advocating for racial and economic equity
Where do you see the cooperative economy growing, do you have a vision for the short term and long term (in 5 years, in 30 years)? PACA is focusing its efforts in helpful areas: Educating people about cooperatives, supporting groups in forming cooperatives, connecting cooperatives, and providing technical assistance. I would envision PACA continuing this work, supporting the start-up and strengthening of more cooperative ventures in our city and region. There are also opportunities to connect cooperatives with like-minded nonprofit, business, and academic institutions – regionally, nationally, and internationally – to advance a vision for the cooperative economy; and to expand networking opportunities, sharing of best practices, and mutualism among cooperatives locally. PACA has also taken an important role in advocacy on behalf of workers’ rights, the city budget, public banking, and racial justice. That advocacy is essential to creating the environment for a sustainable, equitable, and just economy.
As you think about the three primary board member functions-ambassador, advocate, and asker-in which role(s) do you think you will want to be most active? I see myself primarily as an ambassador and an advocate; but asking (for money, in-kind donations, members, and volunteers) is a key role of every board member. So I expect to support PACA in that way as well. I’m also an asker of questions – and will bring that inquisitiveness and sense of due diligence to my role as a board member.
How do you view the board’s role in a cooperative organization? Listening, support, laying the groundwork for cooperative governance, and modelling cooperative values in the leadership of the organization. I would expect the board to engage with and get input from staff and member organizations in establishing the policies and practices that would best support the organization and the local cooperative movement.