Organizers

The Economic Democracy Collaborative

• Rashad Barber has been engaged in the struggle for social and economic justice with activist-led initiatives, including Occupy Wall Street, for several years. One of the inspiring moments which connected him with many organizers was his disaster relief work in Haiti for five months after the devastating earthquake of 2010.
• Dan Cornwell is Professor Emeritus (Physical Chemistry) at the UW-Madison. In retirement he has studied economic issues such as preserving pay-as-you-go Social Security, progressive income taxation, and the role of the Federal Reserve and Banks in expansion of the money supply. He is an active participant in programs of The Madison Institute.
• CR Boardman is a scientist and philosopher promoting healthy local human communities which steward our good earth.  He has been engaged in research on green and durable buildings since joining the Forest Products Lab in 2008.  His current interests include alternative economics as he works to reimagine and implement the institutions of a more just and resilient political economy that supports life. CR lives in Madison WI.
• Frank Emspak, currently Executive Producer of Workers Independent News and also the People’s Mic with Doug Cunningham. Collectively the news and talk show reach about 750,000 people daily on about 200 radio stations. Professor Emeritus, School for Workers University of Wisconsin Extension, and President of United Faculty and Academic Staff Local 223 AFT, and prior to that machinist and Executive Board member, Local 201 IUE-Lynn MA. His professional interests include designing work to enhance skill and human potential.
• Alex Jackimovicz, licensed Master Electrician in Maine, is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst having studied Social Thought Political Economy with a Bachelor’s in Concepts of Identity in Social Theory, avid student of alternative economics and advocate of people’s rights initiatives.
• Ame T. Johnson,progressive activist and community organizer (38yrs), Director, Prout Movement USA, Graduate of Business Administration (Cebu,Philippines) & Intuitional Sciences of the Vedas (India). Local projects- CSRA Vegetarian Society, People For Coops (founder), Central Brooklyn Food Coop (advisory), FCA-Food Coop Alliance (member), MAFCA- Mid-Atlantic Food Coop Alliance (member).  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese,Visayan,Tagalog and English. Singer, Songwriter.
• Nada Khader, executive director of WESPAC Foundation, a peace and justice action network, since 2011. Member of the steering committee of the United National Anti-War Coalition, has represented the US Palestinian Community Network at the US Social Forum national planning meetings, board member of United for a Fair Economy.
• Dedo Kwamina: Artist, designer a focused individual who creates illustration, branding and identity for dynamic initiative groups such as the Coalition for the Helpless and Economic Democracy Conference. See her web page
• Prakash Laufer, founder and publisher of Together Northampton – a newsletter of community collaborations, board member of United for a Fair Economy.
• Ronald (Ravi) Logan is the director of the PROUT Institute and is the principle author of PROUT: A New Paradigm of Development. He is also the Program Director of the Dharmalaya Center in Eugene, Oregon.
• Dada Maheshvarananda, activist, writer and monk, founder and director of the Prout Research Institute of Venezuela. Author of After Capitalism: Economic Democracy in Action.
• Matt Oppenheim, PhD in Applied Anthropology and Transformative Change, is an expert in university level, public education and community based service-learning for transformational change, working as an Adjunct professor of anthropology.
• Mirra Price organized against the Viet Nam War, convened consciousness-raising groups, and taught ARISE Seminars. When teaching on the Navajo Reservation, she advocated against relocation, and later for the Northern Cheyenne, against Conoco. Since the 1970s, she has worked with Women’s Proutists of North America, in co-ops, teaching classes and writing newsletters.
• Stephanie Rearick is founder and Director of the Dane County TimeBank and Project Coordinator of Time For the World/Build For the World. In addition to her work in timebanking, Rearick is co-owner of Mother Fool’s Coffeehouse. Rearick worked for Greenpeace for six years of young adulthood, helped launch Madison Hours local currency in 1995 and served for several years on the steering committee of independent local political party Progressive Dane. Rearick also works as a musician. Visit Stephanie’s website.
• Ingrid Rothe is a retired economist who worked on economic well-being in the public welfare system and at the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is active with organizations that promote justice and equality for women and the LGBTQ community.
• Jason Schreiner, Instructor of Environmental Studies and Faculty Development Consultant at the University of Oregon, President of the PROUT Institute in Eugene, Oregon.
• Lois Seffu grew up part of the labor movement behind her union working mother. She is now a contract administrator for SAG-AFTRA, a union of over 160,000 performers’ & media professionals. She is also part of a performance group with the mission of bringing local artists closer to their community.
• Judy Skog chairs Transition Madison Area, an organization dedicated to achieving heart centered sustainability while taking into consideration resource depletion, extreme weather, and economic instability. She also practices permaculture at home and in the community.
• J. W. Smith, PhD in economics, author of several books on alternative economic systems, president of the Institute for Economic Democracy.
• Susan Stauderman-Deckhart, website developer, folk musician, and co-chair of Production Committee for the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Member of the Philadelphia Folksong Society, Coalition for Peace Action, Women Proutists of North America, and peace and social justice activist.
• Connie Threinen chairs the Board of Directors of The Madison Institute. She has been involved in the League of Women Voters all her adult life. A feminist advocate, she was a founder of the Wisconsin Women’s Network and chaired it from 1987 to 1990. She graduated in economics from the UW-Madison.
• Nate Timm served as a Western Dane County Obama Team Leader and community organizer in 2008. Building on this experience, he has worked with a team of grassroots advocates to create the yearly Wisconsin Progressive Grassroots Festival and the Wisconsin Grassroots Network. These organizations have specialized in building community grassroots groups.
• Dada Vedaprajinananda is a singer-songwriter, meditation teacher, author and editor. He founded New Renaissance Magazine in 1990 and his articles have been published in numerous magazines and journals.
• David L. Williams Active in the Vietnam antiwar movement at UW-Madison 1968-72 and other peace and social justice, labor and environmental movements. Founder and coordinator of Open University of the Left in Chicago and reference librarian at Chicago Public Library. Active in the Green Party from early 1990’s. Founder and coordinator of the Peregrine Forum of Wisconsin.
• Beth Wortzel, clinical social worker and therapist, organizer of Meditation for Activists, founder and first director of the ARC House in Madison, an alternative to incarceration for women in the criminal justice system.