Richard Larochelle, Co-op Instructor, Discusses his Involvement in the Cooperative Movement Richard Larochelle, Co-op Instructor, and Cooperative Hall of Fame member is interviewed by host Vernon Oakes. Vernon and Richard discuss the co-op course he teaches at the University of Mary Washington, and the different ways he continues to support the cooperative movement. Although retired now, Rich Larochelle continues to contribute to the advancement of cooperatives through his involvement with a startup food co-op in his community, and by teaching cooperative principles. Rich is a founding director of the Fredericksburg Food Co-op and is currently the co-op’s Board Chair. He is also an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Mary Washington, where he co-teaches a course on Cooperative Business. Rich Larochelle has spent his life championing the cooperative business model. During a 40-year electric cooperative career -including nearly a decade with the federal Rural Electrification Administration (REA) and later senior leadership posts with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation-he demonstrated his passion for helping cooperative consumers by fighting to improve the quality of rural life at every turn.
