Our Team
Tori Kuper is the Program Director for the School for Democratic Management, aiding participatory organizations with training and tools. With fifteen years in building democratic organizations, she founded BreadHive Worker Cooperative and Cooperation Buffalo. As Membership Director at New Economy Coalition, she focused on the solidarity economy and facilitated NEC's transition to a democratic workplace. Tori has served on several boards, including RIPESS and US Federation of Worker Cooperatives. She holds a Master's Degree from New York University and a certificate from DAWI's Participatory Management Program with Rutgers University.
Nina Stender leads the Rapid Response Cooperative Development Project, supporting entrepreneurship for vulnerable workers and immigrant communities. Her passion for worker ownership developed at the Brownsville Community Justice Center in Brooklyn, where she learned about worker co-ops. Previously, she was the Senior Membership Manager at Certified Employee-Owned. Nina holds a BA in Social Studies and Government from Wesleyan University and completed a Certificate in Workplace Democracy at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. She participated in fellowships at the Coro New York Leadership Center and the CUNY Colin Powell School. Raised in Hong Kong, she now advises Co-op Hudson Valley in the Hudson Valley, New York.
Sofia Ullman (they/she) is the Training and Education Coordinator for the Democracy at Work Institute, where they manage logistics for both virtual and in-person educational programs. They hold a B.A. in Psychology and Politics from Oberlin College (2024) and are particularly interested in the interpersonal dynamics that shape cooperative work. Sofia’s long-term goal is to design and lead educational programs for children that teach cooperative values, believing that instilling collective action and collaboration from an early age is key to challenging American individualism. Bilingual in English and Spanish, Sofia enjoys bridging cultural and linguistic gaps in their work and ensuring inclusive spaces for diverse communities. They are excited to continue learning from and contributing to the cooperative movement!
Yadira Fragoso, from Mexico City, moved to the United States in 2000. She worked at Si Se Puede women's cooperative for eight years, serving as president in 2012, and was on the board of the New York City Network of Worker Cooperatives for two years. Yadira left SSP in 2016 to develop a line of natural cleaning products at BKLN Clean LLC. She aims to become a cooperative developer and promote the worker cooperative model in Tulsa, OK, to empower the Latinx community facing social and economic inequality.
Frank leads DAWI’s efforts to support business transitions to employee ownership. He worked for 15 years as a Senior Business Advisor at the New York State Onondaga Small Business Development Center, holding an Advanced Advisor Certification in Employee Ownership and chairing the America's SBDC Special Interest Section on Employee Ownership & Business Transitions. Frank has a Masters of Science in Sustainable Systems and a Masters of Forestry. He co-founded the Alchemical Nursery Project and is transitioning the Bitternut Urban Collective co-household into cooperative ownership. He has served on the Board of Directors for the CDFI Syracuse Cooperative Federal Credit Union since 2010, becoming Chair in 2013.