Board of Directors
Amanda Everich (She/ They)
Black Farmer Fund
Amanda Everich (she/they) is a facilitator, visual artist and collaborator from The Bronx, NY (unceded Munsee Lenape land.) She is rooted in ten years of work for land, food and farming justice. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from The City College of New York, education training from The Loris Malaguzzi Center in Reggio Emilia, Italy, herbalism training with La Mala Yerba, farm training with the Rock Steady Farm Pollinator Program and is a graduate of Farm School NYC. She works at Black Farmer Fund as Community Facilitator and Education Manager supporting black owned farming and food businesses in the northeast. Her work is guided by learning from land stewards, jazz, improvisation and the power of storytelling to create the liberated worlds we will build.
Chris Fox (They/Them)
Action OSH
Chris Fox is a worker owner in Action OSH, an immigrant-led, unionized, worker-owned co-op of health and safety trainers. They are an industrial social worker of Dominican-American heritage who began working in the immigrant worker rights movement in 2014. Chris a proud member of the United Steelworkers (USW) union Local 4-318 and serves on the executive board of the local. They are also a leader in the USW Co-op Council with the aim to bring more worker-owned co-ops into the union and help the rest of the union understand and join the co-op movement. Additionally, Chris is also a member of the Executive Committee of the USFWC Union Co-op Council and co leads the technical assistance team. Chris previously worked on NYC NOWC staff as the Operations Manager from 2018 to 2020 and is especially proud to be serving as an interim board member through the end of 2024. Chris live in Flatbush, Brooklyn with their dog Olive and in their free enjoys soaking up nature, eating delicious things and playing with their nephews.
Félix Gardón Rivera (They/ Them/ Ellx)
Oasis Solidarity Collective
Félix E. Gardón Rivera is an interpreter/actor/artist/activist. Gardón is a queer economic justice activist and a language advocate and an experienced trainer and facilitator that has held various positions to develop new leadership and trainers in multiple topics on economic, gender, social, and justice. They were one of the co-founders and co-chairs of Queers for Economic Justice, worker/ owner of Caracol Language LLC, and Robert W, Maggs Designs LLC among others. They also worked as Director of Education/Advocacy for SAGE (Services and Advocacy for LGBTQ Elders,) Program Coordinator Specialist at the University of Medicine and Dentistry, where they developed the Standards for Cultural Competency for the Ryan White Tittle 1 programs in NJ, Director of Education for AVP, and direct service member of the SRLP collective providing language access services for legal clinics in NYC for the transgender community. Felix is also an actor artist and co-founded the Puerto Rican Actors troupe Los Cuatro Gatos. For 15 yrs they were part of the Medicine Show Theatre, the oldest experimental theater group in NYC. They studied with the renowned Greek artist Omiros and has shown in various galleries in Philadelphia and NJ.
Jacqueline Gaskin (She/ Ella)
AdornMix Inc.
I am a woman Coop owner, PSFC member since 1984, Food Justice Activist, GWC graduate, life learner, mother, grandmother. I have been involved with coops since 1984 when I became a member of Park Slope Food Coop. I graduated from GWC. I am a community garden member. I attended several workshops for years & hosted a workshop for NYC NoWC. I earned a Leadership certificate from CSEA. I believe in the cooperative principles and look forward to utilizing my experience and skills to improve NYC NoWC by serving as a board member.
Joél Mejia (He/ El)
Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms/ ICA Group
Joél Mejia, an artivist and mission-driven entrepreneur, is a beacon of innovation and community empowerment in the cooperative movement of Lenape land, now Kingston, New York. With a BA in Economics and an anticipated completion of the Next Economy MBA program in May 2023, Joél’s academic background is just the foundation upon which he builds his transformative work. His approach is not confined to traditional capitalist models but is instead guided by the principles of cooperative economics, the solidarity economy, and a vision for a new, inclusive economy.
As a founding member of Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms, Joél has played a pivotal role in its evolution from a single hydroponic rack in his Bronx dining room to a thriving, worker-owned cooperative. The farm is a testament to sustainable urban agriculture, focusing on microgreens and mushrooms, and serves as a beacon for those interested in food sovereignty and economic independence through cooperative ownership.
Joél’s work extends to the Kingston Food Coop, where he serves on the executive team, specializing in vendor relations and branding. His efforts are crucial in fostering partnerships that align with the coop’s values and ensuring that the products offered reflect the community’s needs and the cooperative’s commitment to ethical sourcing and solidarity with local producers.
In addition to his work with the cooperative, Joél is actively involved with the Good Work Institute, collaborating with Kingston residents on a six-month journey to design a community fund aimed at benefiting the residents of Kingston. This initiative is a natural extension of his dedication to creating generational wealth and fostering economic resilience within the community.
Rooted in the wisdom of his Taino and Afro ancestors, Joél’s philosophy is a profound blend of ancient knowledge and forward-thinking, encapsulated by his dedication to AfroFuturism. His personal journey through minimalism, meditation, plant-based nutrition, and holistic practices underscores his belief in the decolonization of marginalized communities as a full-hearted commitment.
In his strategic role with the ICA Group, Joél applies his extensive experience in Communications, Marketing, and Digital Content Management to further the cause of employee ownership and cooperative business development. His diverse career, including his tenure as a high school media literacy teacher and co-founder of Things Are Changing Productions, underscores his lifelong dedication to elevating communities through education, cooperative economics, and cultural empowerment.
A staunch advocate for permaculture and Just Transition principles, Joél sees these frameworks as essential for redistributing power and deepening connections between individuals and the Earth. His engagement in agricultural cooperatives and community funds is a deliberate step in a multi-phase strategy aimed at shifting economic and cultural power away from oppressive systems, inspired by indigenous spiritual teachings.
As Joél continues his work with the ICA Group, the Kingston Food Coop, and the Good Work Institute, his commitment to sustainable, equitable practices marks him as a transformative leader, poised to reshape economic and social frameworks for the collective well-being.
Martha Montufar (She/ Ella)
Cooperative Home Care Associates
Martha Montufar is a data driven, workforce professional and an environmental justice and public health scholar. Martha’s life mission is to inform public policy through research to support her community. She has dedicated her time to uplift and support people in obtaining meaningful careers and make resources available to immigrant populations. A native from Ecuador and raised in the Bronx, Martha understands the impact of the intersections of identity, health, environment, and obtaining a livable wage on quality of life. Martha obtained a masters of science in Environmental and occupational health from the CUNY school of Public Health and is currently Director of Workforce Development at Cooperative Home.
Angel Pleasant (They/ Ellx)
Palante Technology Cooperative
Angel Pleasant is a queer, multiracial, Gullah-Geechee worker-owner at Palante Technology Cooperative, a worker cooperative that provides technology consulting services to nonprofit, progressive, social justice, and community organizations. Angel has been working in the cooperative/non-profit tech space for the last 7 years, starting in 2017 with Planned Parenthood of America, Centerlink, and PFLAG’s online community for LGBTQ+ teens, and continuing to support a long list of organizations in New York City and beyond.When they are not exhausted trying to solve the world’s problems through technology, they host community art gatherings teaching printmaking and fiber arts.
Nicole Rodriguez (She/ They)
Wholehearted Bookkeeping
Nicole is a bilingual WOC native to Washington Heights. As a first generation American, she has seen the effects of systemic inequality firsthand. She has worked with other worker cooperatives providing administrative support and dipped her toe in Finance when establishing a cooperative coffee shop in NYC. She is a self-taught bookkeeper with 3 years experience.
Franklin Salazar (He/ El)
Radiate Consulting NYC
Franklin Salazar has been in the cooperative space for 4 years. First as a member of the Sunset Scholars in Sunset Park and now with Radiate Consulting NYC. Originally from Colombia, Franklin has always been involved on his community and defended the rights of immigrants like himself.
Melissa Toussaint (She/ Ella)
Goumel Coop
Melissa Toussaint is a compassionate public servant, advocate, resource connector, and educator dedicated to strengthening cooperative structures and uplifting underserved communities. Currently a worker-owner of Goumel, a Haitian-focused food cooperative, Melissa is also a Community Action Network (CAN) Coordinator with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), where she passionately supports maternal health initiatives across the city. With a Master’s degree in Sexual Reproductive Health, she brings both expertise and empathy to her work, supporting vulnerable communities through her roles as a doula, parenting class facilitator, ESL instructor, and mentor for immigrant youth. Melissa’s commitment to cooperatives is deeply rooted in her family’s story; inspired by her grandmother, a farmer and entrepreneur in Haiti, she believes in the power of economic independence and community self-reliance. Currently pursuing her PMP certification, Melissa is eager to contribute her project management, organizational skills, and community-building expertise to the NYC NOWC board, where she seeks to amplify resources, promote sustainable practices, and champion the cooperative movement across New York City.
Adam Trott (He/ El)
Shared Capital Cooperative & Valley Alliance of Worker Co-operatives
Adam Trott is the Director of Member Relations for Shared Capital Cooperative, a national CDFI loan fund that connects co-ops and capital to build economic democracy. He is also the Executive Director of the Valley Alliance of Worker Co-operatives, a co-op of worker co-ops that supports, develops and educates about and for worker co-operatives. Adam spent 13 years as a worker-member of Collective Copies, a worker collective and union shop western Massachusetts and served on his union’s Regional Executive Board. He received a Masters in Co-operative and Credit Union Management from St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2019. His research is about the impact and power of co-operative associations in North America and throughout the world. Adam has had the pleasure of several board appointments including the Eastern Coordinating Council (organizing group for the Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy), founding board member of the Cooperative Capital Fund, United Electrical Workers Union Local 274 representative to the Northeast General Executive Board, founding member of the Valley Co-operative Business Association and more.
Officers
Co-Chair: Félix Gardón Rivera (They/ Them/Ellx), Oasis Solidarity Collective
Co-Chair: Jacqueline Gaskin (She/ Ella), AdornMix Inc.
Treasurer: Nicole Rodriguez (She/ They), Wholehearted Bookkeeping
Secretary: Angel Pleasant (They/ Ellx), Palante Technology Cooperative