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Catalyzing worker co-ops & the solidarity economy

John McNamara

John is a Co-Executive Director of the Northwest Cooperative Development Center and also teaches Strategic Advantage with the International Centre for Co-operative Management at the Sobey School of Business. Prior to joining NWCDC as a co-op development specialist, he spent 26 years with Union Cab of Madison, serving in a number of roles. He also served 4 years on the board of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives and currently services on the Executive Committees of both the Policy and Advocacy Council and the Union-Coops Council. John  was a founding member of the Democracy at Work Network and just recently completed a term on the board of CooperationWorks!. He serves on the WA State Employee Ownership Commission and on the Steering Committee of the WA State Center for Employee Ownership. His dissertation examines how the style of management in worker owned or controlled co-ops may assist or deter alliance with the Cooperative Identity by the ability of workers to be engaged in the governance and operations of their cooperative.