Nuestro equipo
Andrew Delmonte
Executive Director
They/them pronouns
Andrew is an organizer, facilitator, and business developer who believes in the power of communities and workplaces to govern themselves. A lifelong resident of Buffalo's West Side, Andrew has 10+ years' experience assisting cooperatives, social enterprises, independent small business owners, and frontline community organizations with planning and management decisions, financial strategy, governance, group dynamics, and conflict resolution.
Mike Zak
Cooperative Development Manager
He/him pronouns
Mike is a seeker of knowledge, justice, and sustainability. He was the Co-Founder and a worker-owner of Gro-op, an aquaponic vertical farm, for the past 10 years. Mike co-created Gro-op as a model of what an ethical business could be: ever striving towards utilizing the most environmentally sustainable urban farming practices, empowering workers through democratic cooperative ownership, and investing in its community by providing on the job training programs for Opportunity Youth in Buffalo's East and West Sides.
Michael Heubusch
Organizational Culture and Education Director
They/them pronouns
Michael is a community organizer and economist who works as a cooperative developer and educator for Cooperation Buffalo. Michael began their professional relationship with Cooperation Buffalo as an intern while they were a graduate student at Buffalo State College, where they graduated with an M.A. in Applied Economics in December 2018. Their areas of interest include cooperative economics, radical political economy, and macroeconomic policy.
Cecilia Johnson
Communications and Operations Specialist
She/her pronouns
Cecilia is an organizer and social media manager who is passionate about working to build a new economy that meets everyone’s needs. After spending more than a decade at a large international bank, Cecilia was glad to leave behind the extractive, exclusionary, and profit driven big banking industry and join the movement to normalize non-extractive financing and democratize our workplaces with Cooperation Buffalo.
Nuestro equipo
Kathryn Franco
President
She/her pronouns
Kathryn is a lover of community and connection. Having been raised in Buffalo, she is a proud product of Buffalo Public Schools and has witnessed the many changes to her city over the last decade. Having worked in non-profits ranging from medical to a non profit law firm, Kathryn has been a lifelong advocate. From policy work focused on racial and economic justice, to individual practice- Kathryn believes in the intersectionality of our lives and thus the need to make sure our solutions to problems are equally holistic.
Derek Bateman
Director
He/him pronouns
Derek Bateman is Chair of the City Social Science Department at Erie Community College where he teaches Sociology, Political Science, and Economics. Derek has served on the boards of Hostel Buffalo Niagara, Lexington Co-op Markets, Nickel City Housing Co-op, and three credit unions for over 20 years.
Tori Kuper
Treasurer
She/her pronouns
Tori Kuper is the Treasurer and co-founder of Cooperation Buffalo. Tori serves as Director for the School for Democratic Management at the Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI) where she supports the growing field of worker cooperative managers and technical assistance providers with the training, education, and tools they need to thrive.
India Walton
Board Chair
She/her pronouns
India Walton is a native of Buffalo, New York. After a decades long career as a Registered Nurse, India began organizing as a way to influence policy that addressed the root causes of inequities in social determinants of health. She has been a staunch advocate for criminal legal reform, improving access to healthcare, safe staffing, and affordable housing. In 2021 India rocked the political establishment in her hometown by challenging and unseating a four term incumbent in the Democratic Primary for mayor of Buffalo. Since her loss to an unprecedented write-in campaign in the general election, she has continued to advocate for increased civic participation and policies that prioritize the poor and working class as Senior Advisor with RootsAction.