Board of Directors:
Caroline Griffith (she/her) is an omnivore of local activism currently serving as the Executive Director of the Northcoast Environmental Center. She is passionate about collaboration, and a true believer in small "d" democracy and the power of people. Although she gives her time to many local environmental and social issues, her long-term goal is a complete paradigm shift from our extractive culture of dominance to a collaborative culture of solidarity. She loves dirt, bicycles and books.
Kate Lancaster (she/her) recently retired as an associate professor from Humboldt State University, School of Business where she taught sustainable business and accounting at the undergraduate and graduate level. Her BS, MS and PhD are in accounting, with an emphasis on environmental and social issues. She worked with students on numerous projects that helped businesses and organizations explore and measure their sustainability (environmental, social, and economic) footprint. Kate is a Worker Owned Cooperative Business Advisor for Cooperation Humboldt and the North Coast Small Business Development Center, facilitates a CH Study Group, serves on the board for Zero Waste Humboldt, and teaches part-time at HSU. She was actively involved in numerous HSU-related sustainability endeavors and served as a board member for the North Coast Cooperative. Kate is a small-scale permaculture gardener and herbalist, an avid and eclectic reader, and a life-long learner who enjoys long walks with her dogs in the Community Forest. An Arcata resident, Kate and her husband incorporate permaculture principles as stewards of their urban farm. They share their life with two career-changed dogs from Guide Dogs of America, nearly 30 chickens and numerous beehives.
Tamara McFarland (she/her) grew up in Eureka and attended local schools from kindergarten through college. She and her husband are raising two children together in Eureka. Tamara is passionate about food justice, local resilience, animal rights, and environmental protection. She is a graduate of the Cascadia Leadership training program. In 2016, she was the lead organizer for the Bernie Sanders campaign in Humboldt County. Following the 2016 elections, Tamara helped to co-found the North Coast People’s Alliance. After operating a small business for 14 years, Tamara has recently chosen to focus her time exclusively on social change work. She serves on Cooperation Humboldt’s Board of Directors as President, and also handles our bookkeeping and coordinates our Food Team.
Leila Roberts (she/they) and her family arrived in Wiyot Tribal lands in 2015, hoping to deepen their belonging to this community for decades to come and learn where they could contribute. She has served as Director of the North Coast Small Business Development Center (SBDC) since August 2016, growing services and impact with the region’s independently-owned small, local enterprises. Under her leadership the Center launched the Northern California region’s first formal SBDC-supported employee ownership conversion program, and proudly supported the launch and growth of Cooperation Humboldt’s Worker Owned Academy.
Leila’s commitment to Cooperation Humboldt’s mission and economic democracy work comes from a 25 year career growing strong community based organizations—from Philadelphia to D.C., Vermont to Bangladesh. She has also consulted and volunteered for groups and movements like the Climate Justice Alliance, the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights campaign, Centro del Pueblo, True North Organizing Network, EDGE Funders Alliance, and more. She currently also serves on the boards of the Move to Amend Coalition and the Crescent City / Del Norte Chamber of Commerce. She has a master’s degree in International Sustainable Development.
The Arab-American daughter and granddaughter of immigrants from North Africa and Britain, Leila has lived on the shores of three oceans and seas, two bays, and six rivers. She, her partner John Richmond, Publisher of the Times-Standard newspaper, and their pointy-eared wayits siswupt (black dog) Benicio del Perro, live in Raqlhirilh hulumou’lilh, Wolf’s Home (also called Humboldt Hill.)
Staff:
Tobin McKee (they/them) is grant writer and Program Administrator at Cooperation Humboldt. Tobin is a founding member of Worker Owned Humboldt, the Community Health Worker Collaborative, the Cooperative Cannabis Economy Group, and the Jardin Santuario community garden with Centro del Pueblo. Tobin is also the Co-Director at Middleway Network, a project of the Ink People Center for the Arts, fostering the development of free wellness education and services for underserved populations.
Argy (she/they) moved to Humboldt from Southern California to attend Humboldt State University in 2005 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science. She has worked with Indigenous communities involved with Environmental Justice & Food Sovereignty, Redwood Roots CSA Farm, Food for People food bank, and Jefferson Community Center’s SEEDs after school gardening program. She has been a backup manager for North Coast Growers’ Associations Farmers’ Market since 2012 and is the Garden and Food Resource Coordinator with Open Door Community Health Center’s Health & Wellness Gardens. Argy is currently on the North Coast Community Gardens Cooperative's Steering Committee, she helps with Food Not Bombs Eureka (Sundays 3pm at Clark & 3rd), and is working on bringing back the D.I.Y. Community Resource Center Tool Share with Cooperation Humboldt.
College Corps Fellows:
Filip Amborski (they/them) is an undergraduate at Cal Poly Humboldt studying Environmental Resource Engineering, and a minor in Native American Studies, with an emphasis on Culture and Community. Passionate about renewable technologies, and excited to engage the local community, they are serving a fellowship with Californians for All, specifically looking at improving K-12 education, climate action, and food insecurity across the state. Excited to be partnered with Cooperation Humboldt, they hope to listen, assess, and help develop sustainable solutions for the future.
Jasmine Roghani (she/her) is pursuing a double major in Psychology and Animal Biology/Veterinary with a minor in business. She is an animal lover who operates a tiny non-profit animal rescue. She came from very humble means and understands what it is like to build up from nothing, and considers herself to still be in that process. She loves gardening, learning and nature; hiking, camping, and being outside.
Core Team:
Our core team members have met all of the following criteria:
- Completion of a study group cohort
- Active participation in at least one CH program/project
- Willingness to self-identify as a CH leader (this can and will look a bit different for each of us)
Cara Cordoni (she/her) transplanted herself and her two sons from San Francisco to Eureka in 2016. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and received her coaching certification from The Coaches Training Institute in 2011. She works as a Leadership and Relationship Coach supporting values-based entrepreneurs, radical start-up founders, eccentrics, revolutionaries, and courageous risk-takers: people who are determined to be their best selves - to make their own way and transform themselves and the world for the better. Cara is also an entrepreneur and writer. She is an anchor on the Cannabis Cooperative Economics Group, a project of Worker Owned Humboldt, formed specifically to support the development of a bioregional cannabis cooperative economy.
Lark Doolan (he/him) immigrated to unceded Wiyot territory from the aboriginal homeland of the Muwekma Ohlone. Lark serves as the director of the nonprofit, Queer Humboldt, supports the transgender health program at Open Door Community Health Centers, and serves as the superintendent of Peninsula Union School District. Lark is passionate about building inclusive communities where diversity is valued.
Hedgie Enge (they/them) came to Humboldt County in 1992 from Long Beach, CA where they learned about community building in groups like ACT UP, Food Not Bombs and Long Beach Housing Action Association. They have had many experiences in life that always lead back to the need to build community. Hedgie loves their partner, their friends and family (which include their chickens), their neighbors, and the natural world. On any given day you can find Hedgie tending to Sassy (her cross-beak chicken), creating ceramic art, making herbal medicines, sharing recipes/preserved bounty from the garden with neighbors and/or working on projects in the Education Circle with Cooperation Humboldt. They are excited to help with the tool library and skill share network!
Solomon Everta (he/him) is a multimedia artist living in the Raspberry House (built in 1898) in Jaroujiji (Eureka, California) with his two sons, a dog, and loving friends nearby.
Working in theater, historical research, woodblock prints, record-keeping, story creation, baked goods, and interview his work often defies categorization while crossing disciplines.
Kimiko McNeill moved to Manila 12 years ago and completely fell in love with Humboldt. Kimiko identifies as a healer and caregiver, and she works as an occupational therapist doing physical rehabilitation in an outpatient clinic. She sees her life’s purpose as serving others. She is committed to creating a haven of progressive values in Humboldt to protect the natural beauty of Humboldt and to support all of the unique populations that reside here. Kimiko identifies as multicultural, and this perspective makes her devoted to improving equity and inclusion for all people. Kimiko is an anchor on the food team, and she is elated to be a part of Cooperation Humboldt! Kimiko’s cannot wait to expand food sovereignty and access in Humboldt.