Emmy Andersson
Emmy is the Network Coordinator for the Cooperative Maine Business Alliance (CMBA) and a former Cooperative Business Developer at the Cooperative Development Institute. She has many years of food retail management experience, most recently as the General Manager at a Maine food cooperative. She currently serves on the Androscoggin Land Trust’s Board of Directors. Emmy has an MBA degree with a focus on sustainable business practices and a BA degree in Environmental Studies. She loves playing soccer and growing food for her family.
Stephen Belcher
Stephen is an Associate for CDI’s Water Infrastructure Support Program (WISP). He supports the program’s administrative needs including data collection, grant applications, and grant reporting. Prior to CDI, Stephen worked as the Operations Manager for the North Country Food Co-op in Plattsburg, New York. During his time there, he helped oversee $2 million a year in sales, helped optimize data systems and margins, and coordinated efforts to bring in community-based programs to the store. Stephen graduated from the State University of New York with a double major in English Literature and Philosophy. He is an avid reader, enjoys studying and learning new languages, and distance walking.
Katherine Bessey
Katherine Bessey is the Director of Cooperative Business Services (CBS). She has over 6 years of experience developing cooperative enterprises with a special focus in cooperative food systems and childcare. She is passionate about problem solving, research, and people, positioning her well as a technical support for complex cooperative start-up and transformation projects at CDI. She holds a MA in Sustainable Development and a BA in Mathematics and brings over 10 years of prior experience as a Data and Research Analyst in international development consulting to CDI. Outside of her work with CDI, Katherine loves the outdoors and spending time farming and gardening with her family in Sumner, Maine.
Jason Brady
Jason Brady is the Regional Manager for CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program. He supports staff across Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and fosters partnerships with community leaders, media and decision makers. He joined CDI as a Cooperative Housing Specialist in 2015 and over that time he has supported residents in transitioning their communities to resident ownership, assisted resident-owned communities with refinancing, secured state financing for infrastructure projects and developed community leaders.
Before joining CDI, Jason’s professional experience has included community organizing, coordinating direct contact activities for campaigns, and training for issue advocacy organizations supporting environmental and working family initiatives. He is also one of the founders of the Nickel City Housing Cooperative in Buffalo, NY.
Jason is a graduate of the University at Buffalo, SUNY
Rob Brown
Rob Brown is Director of the Business Ownership Solutions (BOS) Program at CDI. He is a nationally recognized expert in the field of employee ownership transitions, and has assisted dozens of businesses explore, assess, structure and execute transitions to worker-owned cooperatives. Rob participates in several national networks promoting the strategy of employee ownership conversions and best practices in the field, including as a 2015 DAWI Cooperative Developer Fellow and as a member of the Workers to Owners Collaborative. Rob joined CDI in 2012 as the Maine Housing Program Manager in CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities Program. He has a diverse background in non-profit and for-profit business development, community organizing, and policy development, communications and advocacy. Rob studied economics and public policy at the University of Maine and College of the Atlantic, specializing in rural and community economic development. Prior to joining CDI, Rob was the founding Executive Director of Opportunity Maine, a statewide organizing, research, and advocacy nonprofit focused on education and economic and workforce development. Rob lives with his wife and son in Northport, Maine.
Terri Bruce
Terri Bruce is the Program Project Coordinator for the Northeast Transition Initiative (NETI) within CDI’s Business Ownership Solutions (BOS) Program. She has more than twenty years of experience in the nonprofit and government sectors, primarily in community, economic, and workforce development, with a combination of high-level policy development and direct service experience. She specializes in program evaluation, strategic planning, and organizational development, delighting in helping programs and organizations measure their impact and gain the evidence-based tools they need to tell the story of the work they do. Prior to joining CDI, she worked providing training and technical assistance to nonprofits across the country on a variety of organizational development and strategic planning topics including data management, data analysis, and evaluation.
Chris Cervantes
Chris Cervantes is a Cooperative Development Specialist in CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program. Having worked in a variety of fields he has developed a deep appreciation for the power of collaboration. From instrument restoration to food trucks to custom carpentry, he has direct experience working alongside others; refining his approach to and understanding of cooperation to achieve greater goals. Now he is excited to apply his experience to participate in the development of a cooperative economy. Outside of work, Chris enjoys cycling, reading history, crafting and restoring furniture.
Thomas Choate
Thomas Choate is a Cooperative Development & Refinance Specialist in CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program, serving central and southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Prior to joining CDI in 2016, Thomas spent a decade researching models for cooperative and green housing. As a side passion, Thomas has also pursued language intensives in Quetzaltenango (Guatemala), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Fes (Morocco), to investigate how language and place inform relationships and values around the built environment.
His professional work included time as a real estate research analyst, cob and straw bale and autoclave aerated concrete natural builder, carpenter, volunteer on regional cooperative initiatives in western North Carolina, volunteer bioremediation coordinator in post-Katrina New Orleans, and as a green “community first” real estate developer.
Thomas studied Latin American Political Economy & Social Movements and music at Southwestern University, and later received a masters in Urban Design and Real Estate from the University of Pennsylvania.
Based in Rhode Island, Thomas enjoys cooking, hiking, biking, gardening, traveling, and making music with his family.
David Court
David Court is CDI’s Grants Manager. He brings a wide range of experience in grant and project management. His previous roles include grant writer, post-secondary educator, and visual artist and exhibition organizer. These experiences have shaped David’s commitment to social and economic justice, and his recognition of cooperative development as a powerful tool for building a just economy and society. David sustains a creative practice alongside his work with CDI. He lives in the Hudson Valley in New York, where his investment in his work is complemented by his enthusiasm for ongoing study and learning, and for spending time outside hiking, running, and foraging.
Julia Curry
Julia Curry is Co-Director of CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program focusing on Vermont. Before joining CDI, Julia worked for over a decade as a cooperative specialist with multi-family affordable housing cooperatives in Burlington, VT. She came to the realm of cooperatives with a background as an organizer in union, interfaith, and community organizing contexts. She has also served on the board of City Market/Onion River Cooperative since 2011, including two years as board president, leading the board through the co-op’s process of building a second store. Julia earned an M.A. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University with a focus on social movements. She loves helping people grow and connect by working together.
Ryan Demers
Ryan Demers is a Cooperative Development Specialist in CDI’s Business Ownership Solutions (BOS) Program. Ryan works with existing businesses, the owner(s), and their employees to support an employee buyout, and supports the cooperative after a transaction takes place. Ryan focuses on financial education, board training, management training, and designs customized workshops for clients based on their needs. Prior to joining CDI, Ryan was the General Manager at the North Country Food Co-op, the only full-service grocery store in downtown Plattsburgh, NY. During his time there, he grew the co-op to 16 employees and nearly $2MM in sales and successfully stewarded the business through the Covid pandemic. He brings great skills and experience in cooperative management and board development, conflict resolution, human resources, and financial analysis and education. Ryan’s formal education was in Atmospheric Science, but after graduate school, he decided to take a different path when he discovered a passion for the cooperative business model. Ryan sits on the board of trustees for the Strand Center for the Arts in Plattsburgh, and is a member of the board of directors for ANCA, the Adirondack North Country Association.
Heather Foran
Heather Foran is a Senior Cooperative Development Specialist in CDI’s Business Ownership Solutions (BOS) Program. In this role, she supports employee-owners in organizing a cooperative and planning for the future of their businesses following their transition to employee-owned cooperatives. For nearly a decade prior to coming to CDI, Heather worked with Coverdale O.D., a U.K.-based organization providing experiential training programs for business leaders that build skills in collaboration, shared leadership, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and systems transformation. She spent many years as a member and board member of the Southern Maine Workers’ Center and was deeply involved in running a worker support hotline and free legal clinic. In 2010, Heather co-founded the Field Academy, a traveling high school program that brings together youth from across the US in partnership with community hosts to learn about critical social and environmental issues. Heather has a Master’s in Transformative Leadership and Organizational Development from Prescott College.
Alyson Frederick
Alyson Frederick is the Finance Director at CDI. Alyson has earned her Master of Accountancy degree from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine and her bachelor’s degree from Utah State University in Family, Consumer, Human Development with a focus on families and community services. She has over 15 years of combined experience working in finance departments and as a social worker in the human services nonprofit sector. She is driven by finding solutions and bringing people together. Alyson lives in southern Maine. She enjoys hiking, skiing, and exploring nature.
Nathan Goldman
Nate Goldman started as an Associate with CDI’s Water Infrastructure Support Program (WISP) team in September 2024. He came to CDI with a background in building construction trades, beginning as a carpenter in 1985 and filling many other roles over the years as a project supervisor, estimator, safety program manager and senior project manager. Throughout his career, he gained experience coordinating complex building projects with a high level of communication and collaboration.
Nate has had a long-standing awareness of housing insecurity and homelessness in Vermont, where he has lent a hand through volunteering in the community. These concerns led him to CDI where he now can more actively assist with housing access and resiliency.
Nate lives and works in Underhill Center, Vermont, where he is also a volunteer firefighter. He enjoys spending time with family, working on projects around the house, as well as biking, hiking and skiing in the woods nearby.
Vanessa Gonzalez
Vanessa Gonzalez is a Cooperative Development Specialist in CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program. Vanessa has a background in community engagement, collaborating with diverse communities, including teen parents, the LGBTQ+ community, individuals living with HIV, and survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Driven by a commitment to reproductive justice, public health, and advocacy, Vanessa is thrilled to channel their expertise toward fostering collaborations within communities, particularly in the realm of cooperative housing. Their passion for equitable, community-based solutions encourages them to create sustainable, inclusive living environments. Vanessa loves spending time with her dog Piña and taking long hikes in their spare time.
Nora Gosselin
Nora Gosselin joined CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program in 2019. As the Market Development and Acquisitions Specialist, Nora supports residents in manufactured housing communities across New England organize, establish cooperatives, navigate through commercial real estate transactions, access financing, and purchase their communities. Having worked with over 30 communities at various stages of the process, and completed over $50 million in transactions, Nora is deeply knowledgeable and experienced in the needs of residents, sellers, and state laws that regulate the sale and purchases of manufactured housing communities. Nora also serves on the Board of Directors for the Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, and previously lived in a multi-family housing cooperative, serving as co-op treasurer and housing coordinator.
David Gowler
David Gowler is CDI’s administrative director. They have experience with buying clubs and retail food co-ops going back to the 1970s. David was a founding member and original Board member of River Valley Market in Northampton, Massachusetts and worked for 7 years as their database administrator. At River Valley Market, David was also one of the primary Union organizers and served as Union steward, representing fellow workers with UFCW local 1459. Other community work includes helping to found WXOJ-LP, Valley Free Radio in Northampton and for 15 years working as a program producer for community and student run radio station WMUA in Amherst, Massachusetts. David currently resides in Tennessee, serves on the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Knoxville, and produces a radio program for WOZO-LP.
Omar Hassan
Omar Hassan is the Cooperative Developer and Technical Advisor in CDI’s Cooperative Business Services (CBS) Program. Omar works with farmers and community members to develop democratic businesses, assist them in developing cooperatives, and support them as they access local markets. Born in Somalia and raised in Kenya, Omar speaks Maay Maay, Af Maha, and English. He provides translation and interpretation support to Somali farmers throughout New England. He works closely with New Roots Cooperative Farm, an operation owned by Somali Bantu farmers in Lewiston, Maine, the first New American-owned cooperative farm in Maine. He is currently enrolled at the University of Southern Maine where he is pursuing a degree in Social and Behavioral Science with a minor in Sustainable Food Systems. He lives with his wife and two children in Lewiston, Maine.
Heather Holland
Heather Holland is the Communications Manager at CDI. Previously, she was director of communications at a healthcare technology company based in Silicon Valley. She led their communications and messaging strategy, successfully helping to fundraise and fuel their expansion in the US, Canada, and Europe. Before she began her career in communications, Heather was a news editor and journalist leading local news teams in New York City, overseeing daily news strategy and editing and packaging enterprise stories with powerful headlines. Heather graduated from New York University with a double major in Journalism and History. She studied abroad in Florence, Italy for her first year of college. She grew up in many different states across the U.S. before settling in Maine. She lives there with her husband and their cat.
J Jasper
James H. Jasper III, called J, is a Cooperative Housing Specialist in CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program, serving western Massachusetts. J’s first career was guiding students of all ages and abilities through wild outdoor experiences with Outward Bound schools and other educational institutions. Later, he worked with school leadership nationally to reform curricula toward experiential opportunities. More recently J coordinated a regenerative farming worker co-op which practiced sociocracy, a democratic governance system that emphasizes inclusive participation and consensus. J’s a beginning paragliding pilot, gets slower every year at racquetball, and falls for good dim sum and bad horror movies every time.
Chris Lepre
As CDI’s Systems and Resources Specialist, Chris creates systems to collect, organize, and analyze CDI’s data and increase the efficiency of the organization. Additionally, he helps to curate educational resources for CDI’s technical assistance services and its various training programs. Before CDI, Chris worked as a full-time software engineer and held various part-time roles in the service industry. Chris has long been passionate about rectifying systemic racial and socioeconomic inequities and has come to view cooperative economics as an instrumental tool towards that end. Chris has served on the board of his local food co-op, and now serves on the board of the Data Commons Cooperative, working to build digital infrastructure for the global solidarity economy. Outside of his work with co-ops, Chris enjoys gardening, hiking, cooking vegan food, traveling, and reading nonfiction.
Emily Miller
Emily Miller is a Cooperative Housing Specialist in CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program, serving the state of Maine. Emily has worked in the non-profit world for almost ten years. Prior to joining CDI, she was a medical social worker for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. She also facilitated intervention programming for individuals convicted of domestic violence and criminalized survivors via a local domestic violence agency. Emily has a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health and Sociology from the University of Houston. She is a certified personal trainer, yoga teacher and Pilates instructor. She lives with her wife in Southern Maine in a 100-year old cape with their three dogs and 100+ house plants.
Melissa Mullineaux
Melissa Mullineaux is a Cooperative Development Specialist in CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program, serving Maine. Prior to CDI, Melissa worked in Portland, Maine as a social worker for the eight years, working with communities and individuals struggling with homelessness, poverty, mental health issues and substance abuse. She earned her Master degree in Policy Planning and Management with a track in Sustainable Development and Geospatial Technologies and a graduate certificate in Community Planning and Development in May of 2016. While earning her graduate degree, Melissa remained working as a Cumberland County mental health emergency response crisis worker and did various work for the Association of State Wetland Managers in Windham, Maine and the Center for Business and Economic Development in Portland, Maine. Melissa received her Associates degree studying behavioral sciences through Granite State College and her BA in social work through the University of Southern Maine. Melissa has lived in Maine on and off for most of her life. She has a passion for equity for all and environmental issues. Melissa enjoys the outdoors and nature and spends much of her spare time with her friends and family.
Annik Paul
Annik Paul is a Program Associate with CDI’s Water Infrastructure Support Program (WISP). Prior to joining WISP, Annik held many roles while working in the manufactured housing sector including advocating for residents rights, providing pre- and post-purchase technical assistance to resident owned communities, and supportive roles such as team manager. Prior to joining CDI, Annik worked as a Relationship Manager for ROC USA. She is passionate about preserving affordable housing. Annik holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development from SIT Graduate Institute and a Bachelor’s in Accounting and Finance from Worcester State University. She lives in Jeffersonville, Vermont with her dog Fluffernutter. In her free time she enjoys gardening, seeing live music, and spending time on/in/near water.
Grace Pfeil
Grace Pfeil (pronounced “File”) is a Cooperative Housing Specialist in CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program. She joined CDI in March 2024, and is excited to advise and support cooperatively owned manufactured home communities across Vermont. Grace comes to CDI with a diverse set of experiences. She has served as a staff person for local city councilors, worked on Vermont’s campaign for Just Cause Eviction in the Legislature, and helped organize a citizen led police oversight ballot initiative that was voted on by Burlington voters in 2022. Currently, she organizes with her local tenant union, Burlington Tenants United. Through these experiences, she has witnessed the power of collective community action, and the positive change we can achieve through cooperation. In her free time, Grace organizes block parties for her neighbors in Winooski and enjoys gardening and swimming in the Huntington river.
Ashleigh Russell
Ashleigh Russell is the Admin and Finance Specialist at the Cooperative Development Institute, working to further connect people, processes, and systems as an integral focus of her role. Prior to joining in 2024, she worked with the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets, supporting data reporting and nutrition incentive food access programs at various Midcoast Maine farmers’ markets. In the cooperative sector, Ashleigh spent nearly a decade with the Belfast Community Co-op, holding various roles including Operations Coordinator and Produce Manager. She brings a detailed approach to her work, informed by a background in tax preparation with a local CPA firm and bookkeeping experience. Ashleigh resides in Maine and enjoys engaging with local cooperatives, valuing their integral role in vibrant communities and thriving economies. Curiosity for the natural world, taking the time to see and understand the plants we often pass by, continues to keep Ashleigh busy and motivated, though she’s also been known to knit a sweater or two. Throughout her work, she strives to advocate with those experiencing barriers, believing that communities are strengthened through mutual aid and accessibility.
Addy Schuetz
Addy Schuetz is a Cooperative Business Developer in CDI’s Cooperative Business Solutions (CBS) program. Addy comes to CDI with a diverse background in nonprofit management, youth development, popular and political education, and community organizing work. In 2019, they received a fellowship to study governance models within worker co-ops and democratic organizations across the U.S. Northeast and South. They are passionate about cultivating people’s ability to work collectively and gain skills for democratic- and self-governance, especially across differences of lived experience. Addy lives in Providence, RI and in their free time enjoys hosting dinners with friends, volunteering on a local farm, playing music, dancing, and being outside.
Pat Schwebler
Pat is Co-Director of CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program. Her background is in real estate, finance, nonprofits, and business management. Working as a realtor in an urban setting, she recognized that the local real estate community ignored new immigrants. So she developed an educational first-time homebuyer program and helped over 50 new Americans secure their first home. After relocating to Maine, 27 years ago, she served as co-chair of a nonprofit that provided emergency shelter to victims of domestic violence. Through vision work with staff and the board, she helped create a strategic plan that provided transitional housing for survivors of domestic violence. Before joining CDI she was executive director of a senior center and worked to improve community conditions for the elderly. She helped create Kennebunk’s free medical equipment loan closet and served on Kennebunk’s Committee on Aging. Pat obtained her B.A. in Communications and graduate certificate in grant writing from the University of Southern Maine. She believes that homeownership provides security, builds personal wealth, and creates connections and community; improving the quality of life.
Analise Sesay
As a cooperative developer and filmmaker, Analise seeks to make contributions towards an interconnected web of sustenance through direct technical assistance to cooperative visions and inspiring the broader international movement through storytelling. She began her work at CDI as an Assistant Project Manager in 2020 before being promoted to Cooperative Developer and then Cooperative Connections Specialist in 2021. Analise has a Master’s in Social Entrepreneurship from Goldsmiths, University of London and a Bachelor’s in Communication & Rhetorical Studies from Syracuse University where she also minored in Ideas, Design, and Startups. In 2019, she founded Common Healing which began as a popup healing center in South London and has since transformed into a participatory world-building studio producing immersive and inspiring experiences that raise cooperative consciousness globally. Analise is based in the Hudson Valley of New York.
Shana Siegel
Shana Siegel is the Program Manager of CDI’s Housing Opportunities for People and Equity (HOPE) Program. Shana works throughout the northeast assisting prospective and existing cooperatives with start-up, conversion, and ongoing operations assistance and support –assisting housing cooperative boards and members with their needs. Shana has a background in nonprofit-based community organizing, outreach, and education, as well as a background in academic research and teaching in New York City and upstate New York. Over the last decade, Shana has focused on working with boards of directors on a range of matters, including governance, operations, member-engagement, and capital improvement planning and implementation.
Ariaun Stewart
Ariaun is a Cooperative Business Development Specialist in CDI’s Business Ownership Solutions (BOS) Program. She possesses a wealth of HR expertise cultivated from her career in large corporations and small businesses, and as the founder of her own HR consulting business. She brings to CDI an entrepreneurial drive, expertise in developing and managing people, and an ability to cultivate strategic partnerships and connect with diverse communities. Ariaun serves on the Springfield Creative City Collective Executive Board, where she initiated the Creative Industries Hiring Event, a platform that united diverse creative businesses and professionals to share opportunities and expertise with the Springfield community. She also helped to plan Springfield’s inaugural Fashion Week, bringing together business owners, creatives, and the community, igniting empowerment and activation in the Mason Square area of Springfield, MA.
Ariaun serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Black Business and Professionals, and is a graduate of the New Leadership Council Boston Cohort. She is committed to fostering growth, inclusivity, and collaboration to create a more equitable and sustainable future for all.
Emmy Tolzdorf
Emmy Tolzdorf is a Cooperative Development Specialist in CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program, serving Central and Western MA. She brings to CDI experience working in youth-based programming, community partnership development, and small business management. She has consistently focused on identifying, addressing, and overcoming barriers to opportunity, especially for low-income and educationally disadvantaged individuals. She has developed working partnerships with state agencies, non-profit organizations, and private businesses and enjoys facilitating events within the communities she serves. Emmy received her BA from Clark University and attended Green Mountain College for her Masters in Resilient and Sustainable Communities, where she focused on the civic engagement of youth within the climate change movement. She spends her spare time fishing with her husband, cycling, and doting over a small flock of chickens.
Pável Uranga
Pável Uranga is the Coordinating Director of CDI’s Immigrant Services Program. Pável is a radio producer, community journalist, and community organizer with more than 20 years of experience working with unions, students, campesinos, and human rights organizations in several Latin American countries and the United States. His experience has allowed him to carry out individual and collective social justice initiatives, including immigrants’ rights, community radio, qualitative/participatory research processes, case studies, training for leadership development and collaborative union efforts, labor, and grassroots movements. In addition, he is passionate about spending time with his family and enjoys living by the sea. Pável has a master’s degree in forensic anthropology.
Jeremiah Ward
Jeremiah Ward is Director of CDI’s Water Infrastructure Support Program (WISP) Program. Before taking the lead on WISP, Jeremiah served as a Cooperative Development Specialist in CDI’s New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) Program for 12 years. He has managed several resident-owned community acquisitions and is skilled at both managing the highly technical real estate development work that is required to raise millions in acquisition financing and funding and adept at resident organizing. His work required building trust and clearly communicating complex information so residents can be successful owners of their newly formed business. Jeremiah has also served as project manager for a number of infrastructure replacement projects at various resident-owned communities and he specializes in manufactured home infill and replacement. Prior to working with CDI, Jeremiah earned an M.A. in Community Development and Planning from Clark University with a focus on cooperative development.
Pam Zagorski
Pam Zagorski is CDI’s Executive Director with over thirty years of experience in the healthcare and human services nonprofit sector. She has extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, managing growing organizations and leading diverse and participatory teams. Prior to joining CDI, she was Chief Financial Officer with a multi-state human service organization serving people with disabilities based in Northampton, MA and Executive Director of a nonprofit agency serving older Vermonters. She is driven by helping people to achieve their best quality of life through self-determination.
Pam earned her MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts and her Juris Doctorate from Western New England University School of Law. A longtime New England resident, Pam currently resides in southern Maine. Pam enjoys exploring and treasure hunting throughout New England, gardening, and history. She is an avid patron of visual and performing arts.
