Vernon Oakes is the president and founder of Oakes Management Inc. and host of Everything Co-op, a weekly radio broadcast. He has a strong background in management and operations; developed in corporate and entrepreneurial environments. Mr. Oakes has significant experience is a wide range of business activities including finance, marketing, sales, sales forecasting, distribution and service, and systems design; both national and international. He has nine years of teaching experience at the college level, and two years training of adults for the Department of Interior.

While serving as President of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives, the marketing team decided to launch a show in honor of National Co-op Month. With the support of National Cooperative Bank, and a personal investment, Vernon has been hosting Everything Co-op for six years. He is committed to helping people learn about the cooperative business model, because he feels that it can help the Country solve many of the problems being experienced in this post-recession era. Last year Mr. Oakes received “the Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Potomac Association of Housing Cooperatives and the “Spirit of Cooperative Award” from the National
Cooperative Bank.

Mr. Oakes received a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Stanford University, a Masters of Science in Mathematics from Penn State University and a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics and Chemistry from Bluefield State College.

Vernon Oakes, the program’s host, also uses this platform to share examples of how cooperatives address issues related to housing, health care, sustenance, cost of living increases, and the distribution of wealth.