This Week's Guest:


Air Date: March 16, 2023
Consumer Co-ops

Deb Trocha discusses the Housing Co-op Conference and how to Use the Co-op Model to Address the Housing Crisis

Share:

Everything Co-op continues its commemoration of Women’s History Month, with an interview of Deb Trocha, Executive Director at Indiana Cooperative Development Center. Deb and Vernon will discuss the upcoming Housing Co-op Conference, and how the Co-op model can be used to address the current housing crisis. The hybrid conference is Free and will be held March 31, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.

Learn more about the conference here: http://www.icdc.coop/up-coming-events/

Deb Trocha joined the Indiana Cooperative Development Center (ICDC) in 2006 after serving as Executive Director of the Indiana Small Business Development Center. During that time, she has worked with many different types of cooperatives, from food co-ops and food hubs, to housing, artists, agriculture, and early childhood education. She is committed to increasing awareness of cooperatives and is passionate about the cooperative business model’s ability to empower people and their communities. Under her leadership, ICDC promotes cooperatives as a vibrant model to address economic and social needs.

ICDC provides start-up, management, and technical assistance to a wide variety of co-ops in agriculture, arts, childcare, education, energy, and housing sectors. ICDC also provides training opportunities designed to bring together groups of people involved in co-op development.

The theme for Women’s History Month is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” This theme recognizes “women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling. The stories of how co-ops have been used to address the current housing crises are powerful stories that will inform and inspire all who listen.

Our host, Vernon Oakes, is a consummate advocate for cooperatives. He is a Past President of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives, and he’s served on several boards and committees to advance the interests of cooperatives. Recently, he served on the Limited Equity Cooperative Task Force, established by Anita Bonds, At-Large Member of the Council of the District of Columbia. Vernon is an MBA graduate of Stanford University, who has used his business acumen to benefit the community, by promoting the added value of the cooperative business model. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *