The USFWC is pleased to announce its 2022-2023 cohort of the Worker Ownership State Advocacy Fellowship. Representing a diversity of industries, regions, and perspectives, the second year of this cohort is nearly twice as large as our first class of WOSA fellows. Stay tuned for developments as the USFWC works with this group to deepen regional advocacy work and political education, and push for the government support of worker cooperatives.

Meet the fellows

California
uxo architects

Ashton Hamm founded uxo architects in 2016, and co-transitioned it to California's first architectural cooperative in 2018. She is a licensed architect with experience in a range of project types across California. Ashton is committed to expanding the role of cooperatives in the architecture profession, and is currently writing a book on the subject."

California
Turning Basin Labs

I am a formerly incarcerated lesbian woman of color from the Northern California Bay Area. I work as an Operations Officer for a budding staffing agency cooperative called Turning Basin Labs. We help people who face barriers to employment get employment and training. Helping support people who have faced the same barriers as myself is truly rewarding and I hope to make more changes through knowledge and experience gained through this wonderful fellowship opportunity.

Iowa
Humble Hands Harvest
Hannah is a founding worker-owner of Humble Hands Harvest and has been farming with the business since 2013. She is passionate about expanding worker-ownership across the local food web, in order to have more voices and imaginations engaged in building the connections that we need.

North Carolina
Tierra Fertil Coop LLC (Latino Worker-Owned Farmer Cooperative)

Delia Jovel is from El Salvador and has lived in the United States since 2014. She is 46 years old and is the mother of a 7-year-old girl. In 2020 Delia began working with other community members to create the first Hispanic-owned farm cooperative in the county where she lives. Delia has a strong commitment to the Hispanic community trying to develop efforts to support each other. She is part of different grassroots groups as well as some local initiatives led by Hispanic members in her community.

New York
New York Drivers Cooperative

Eleazar Becerra is an Indigenous rights advocate and a Youth advocate. He has worked closely with the Yawanawá First people of Brazil in supporting and protecting their ancestral lands from extraction and mining companies. Eleazar is a Trilingual who speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Ohio
Shine Nurture Center Cooperative

Bethany is a nature educator and worker owner at Shine Nurture Center Cooperative, a child care center in Cincinnati, OH. She is joining the fellowship in order to advocate for centers like Shine and organizations like Co-op Cincy who helped us establish her Cooperative. Bethany's favorite activities include rock climbing, working with children outdoors, and boardgame nights.

Ohio
A Touch of TLC Home Health Care Services

Victoria is a Owner of A Touch of TLC Home Health Care Services Coop, which specializes in senior home health care. They believe that elders deserve the right to stay in at home and receive care as long as they can with A Touch of TLC's support and family. Victoria was introduced to Co-op Cincy about 2 years ago and their business model was a copy concept so we have been successful in learning more about being a cooperative business. They appreciate and are grateful for the support of Co-op Cincy.

Oregon
Mirisata

Alex Felsinger lives in Portland, OR and is the co-founder of the worker-owned Mirisata (the world's only vegan Sri Lankan restaurant) and worker self-directed Expanded Circle Collective (a nonprofit offering creative services to other nonprofits). He has a background in animal advocacy, journalism, and marketing.

Pennsylvania
Home Care Associates

Ms. Terrell Cannon, MHS is a 50-year-old former Department of Public Welfare recipient. Ms. Cannon began volunteering in her community at an early age and continues to be a positive figure in her community. Ms. Cannon began her professional career in 1993 working for Home Care Associates (HCA), A Worker Owned Company. After training to be a Home Health Aide (HHA), Ms. Cannon worked as an Aide for six years before utilizing HCA’s then Certified Nursing Assistant Program and became a certified Nursing Assistant.

Pennsylvania
Home Care Associates

Ms. Yvette Beatty is a 61-year-old former Department of Public Welfare recipient, single mother of two children and currently a foster mother to two teenage boys. Ms. Beatty at an early age was always the one who helped the residents in her community by running errands and sitting with them to keep them company. Ms. Beatty continues to be a positive figure in her community and her workplace. Ms. Beatty began her professional career at Home Care Associates in 2013.

Rhode Island
Break The Cycle Cooperative Hub

David-Allen Sumner is a formerly incarcerated Black man from Providence Rhode Island. He has been working with the youth in his community for the past thirty years through various organizations. David-Allen has coached multiple sports: football, basketball, baseball, and karate. He is presently a part of Break The cycle Cooperative Hub, which is creating a space for the formerly incarcerated population to become worker owners using the Cooperative business model.

Vermont
New Frameworks Natural Design Build

Andrew's interest in worker cooperatives grew from an undergraduate self-designed course on democratic employee ownership. Since then they have been involved with many cooperatives including working in a credit union and a worker cooperative, earning a Masters of Management in Cooperatives and Credit Unions and supporting local cooperative brewery and investing club start ups. Aside from cooperatives, they love biking, camping, cross country skiing, swimming, paddle boarding, and generally anything that involves playing outside.

Washington
Nzuri Malkia Birth Cooperative

Advocate dedicated to the rights and justice along the reproductive spectrum on the local, state, and national level to develop innovative policy and programming.

Washington
A1DesignBuild

Patrick has been the General Manager for A1DesignBuild, a Cooperatively owned Residential Design Build Firm in Bellingham WA. They specialize in High-Performance and Cutting Edge Building Science informed Remodels, Additions, Historic Renovation's and New homes. Patrick has worked for A1 Design Build since 2004 and assisted with the transition from a sole proprietorship to a Worker-Owned Cooperative in 2017.

West Virginia
The Ajani Group

Mavery is breaking poverty and creating wealth. CPA by day, a community organizer, a father, a motivator, and founder of the Financial Literacy Bootcamp (FLBC). Additionally, Mavery is a Worker-Owner with The Ajani Group and serves as the Director of Lending for New Economy Works WV, where he brings a passion for uplifting people and connecting them to the resources they need to be supported along their cooperative business journey."