This week Vernon interviews Bijiibah Begaye, Co-Director of the Cooperative Catalyst of New Mexico (CCNM), with her colleagues from Ukwakhwa and Montana Cooperative Development Foundation. Bijiibah and her colleagues will discuss programs and partnerships that have been developed through the Cooperative Catalyst of New Mexico toward creating an ecosystem that truly supports Indigenous cooperatives and cooperative developers in the Navajo Nation.
In addition to serving as the Co-Director of CCNM, Bijiibah Begaye also serves as Board Vice President at Cooperation Works!, a cooperative development network. Bijiibah is a true believer in supporting the Navajo community at every stage of development. She has previously served as Program Director for the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, and as Executive Director of Tse Ko Community Development Corporation. In addition to her work experience, her biggest influences come from being raised in Coalmine Mesa on the Navajo Nation where her family has managed Staggered Hearts Ranch for over 40 years.
The Cooperative Catalyst of New Mexico serves as a resource for individuals, groups, companies, and other organizations in New Mexico that are interested in forming, converting to, or growing cooperatives. In the past year in collaboration with the Cooperative Development Foundation and Minnesota Indigenous Business Alliance, CCNM has created an Indigenous Cooperative Curriculum and has already run a number of Cohorts through the training program. In the coming year, in partnership with Democracy and Work Institute and Seven Roots, CCNM will be starting a feasibility study for a grocery co-op with the Indigenous farming cooperatives it has been working with. In 2023, CCNM will also be focusing its training on Indigenous Cooperative statutes as a real need for established and emerging cooperative developers.
