Air Date: May 14, 2026
Cooperative Advocate

Michael Peck, Inigo Albizuri, Ibon Zugasti & Kaisu Tuominiemidiscuss the Social Economy Road Show to NYC & Boston

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This Thursday @ 10:30am ET
for Everything Co-op, hosted by Vernon Oakes

This episode of Everything Co-op features Part II of the Social Economy Road Show to NYC & Boston, with guests Michael A. Peck, Iñigo Albizuri, Ibon Zugasti and Kaisu Tuominiemi. Vernon and his guests will explore the vision behind the initiative and highlight what participants can look forward to during the Road Show. The initiative will include a series of events that will focus on connecting with regional stakeholders, sharing knowledge, and identifying opportunities for collaboration and joint action to drive social and economic change.

The institutional cosponsors for the May 25-31 ASETT-H@W&L Social Economy Road Show to NYC & Boston are: the American Sustainable Business Network, (ASBN), CUNY Law School Community Economic Development Clinic (CEDC), Local Area Assistance Fund in Boston (LEAF), Greater Boston Labor Council ( GBLC), Manufacturing Renaissance, & Humanity At Work & Life (H@W&L).

Michael A. Peck served as Mondragon International’s USA/Canada delegate (1999-2019) and currently serves as the ASETT (Arizmendiarrieta Social Economy Think Tank) USA & Canada representative. He co-edited Humanity@Work&Life volumes I & II (Oak Tree Press, 2023/2025), with Dr. Christina Clamp. In 2023, Michael co-founded the Affordable-Cooperative-Mutualist Housing Coalition. In 2021, he co-founded the Own-The-Metrics-Campaign (OTMC) to support UNRISD’s Sustainable Development Performance Indicators (SDPIs). In 2014, Michael co-founded the 1worker1vote non-profit to advance the USW-Mondragon International union-coop model.


Iñigo Albizuri – ASETT General Director, Global Head of Public Affairs at Mondragon, President of CICOPA (the international organization of industrial and service cooperatives) and International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) Vice-President – Cooperatives Europe, representing Spain.

Ibon Zugasti – International Project Manager at LKS Cooperative (the Management Consulting Division of Mondragon Corporation), Deputy Director of the Millennium Project Global Futures Think Tank, Managing Partner/Director in PROSPEKTIKER – European Institute for Futures Studies and Strategy, and leads the ASETT Foresight Hub. Recognized by Forbes as one of Spain’s top 40 Foresight experts.


Kaisu Tuominiemi – a Finnish entrepreneur, educator, learning experience designer, and member-owner at TAZEBAEZ S. Coop, where she serves as Lead of Educational Programs and a Senior Learning Facilitator with the Travelling U team affiliated with Mondragon Team Academy (MTA) and Mondragon University (MU). Kaisu’s work has served to launch and nurture learning communities in diverse cities such as Berlin, Shanghai, New York, Barcelona and Bilbao shaping more connected, equitable, and innovative futures.

Event listings & registration links are provided below for your convenience.

Building Mutual Social Economy Bridges – NYC 

CUNY School of Law, Queens, NY

Tuesday, May 26 • 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM

RSVP here: https://asett-nyc.eventbrite.com (https://asett-nyc.eventbrite.com/)

An interactive convening focused on building the social and solidarity economy across local and global contexts, bringing together leaders from ASETT, Humanity @ Work & Life, and CUNY Law, in partnership with NYS Senator Jamaal Bailey! Participants are invited to an interactive event structured around the social and solidarity economy Bring your ideas, share your work, and connect with others shaping the social and solidarity economy. 

Convened by the CUNY Law School Community Economic Development Clinic (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/preview?eid=1986831659979) and H@W&L.

Building Mutual Social Economy Bridges Reception

SEIU 32BJ Local 615, 26 West Street, Boston, MA

Thursday, May 28 • 6 PM – 8 PM

A reception with leaders from Mondragón and Arizmendiarrieta Social Economy Think Tank (ASETT) and Humanity@Work&Life 
– together with members of the American Sustainable Business Network, the Greater Boston Labor Council, and the Local Enterprise Assistance Fund.

Come meet fellow practitioners, organizers, and leaders working at the intersection of business, labor, and community development. Connect, exchange ideas, and build momentum for a stronger, more collaborative social and solidarity economy.

Event URL: https://asett-reception.eventbrite.com (https://asett-reception.eventbrite.com/)

Building Mutual Social Economy Bridges – Boston

Josephine A. Fiorentino Community Center, Brighton, MA

Friday, May 29 • 2:30 PM – 4 PM

RSVP here: https://asett-boston.eventbrite.com (https://asett-boston.eventbrite.com/)

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.