Building Power Together: A Workshop on Worker-Owned Cooperatives for Social Workers
Overview:
Worker-owned cooperatives offer social workers a democratic and equitable way to provide services while maintaining control over their work environment. By sharing decision-making and profits, co-ops foster collaboration, sustainability, and mission-driven care. If you're interested in starting one or just learning more, our free online workshop will walk you through the essentials—covering historical context, operations, financial planning, performance outcomes, and legal structures—so you can create a cooperative that aligns with your values and community needs. Join us to learn how to build a more just and empowering workplace!
Sponsored by:
The Social Entrepreneurship Committee at the School of Social Work at Wayne State University and the Social Work Innovation Network (SWIN)
Speakers:
Dr. Seon Mi Kim is an Assistant Professor at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, City University of New York. She earned her Ph.D. and Master of Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Public Policy from the Korea Development Institute, and a Master of Sociology from Sogang University in South Korea. Dr. Kim's research focuses on workplace development for precarious or underrepresented workers, solidarity economic approaches for vulnerable populations, social entrepreneurship and management, gender and economic empowerment, and community economic development. Before joining Hunter College in August 2022, she served as an Associate Professor at Ramapo College of New Jersey. Dr. Kim has an extensive background in women's advocacy, having been the Policy Director of the Korea Women's Association United in Seoul for a decade, where she contributed to the passage of the Single Parent Welfare Act and advised the National Human Rights Commission in Seoul.
Margo Dalal is a community organizer and social justice advocate based in Detroit, Michigan. She is the Associate Director of Capital Strategies at Seed Commons. Operating as a cooperative, Seed Commons channels investment to marginalized communities that have faced the brunt of the extractive economy, deindustrialization, and systemic discrimination. It provides community-controlled finance to cooperatively owned businesses, creating jobs, building wealth, and challenging inequality. Previously, she co-founded the Detroit Community Wealth Fund (DCWF), where she has served as Executive Director. With over seven years of experience in cooperative business development, Margo has been instrumental in creating programs that support the launch of startup cooperatives, assist existing worker-owned businesses, and facilitate the transition of established enterprises to worker ownership. Margo holds a Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts from Hampshire College. Her work emphasizes the importance of solidarity economies and democratic ownership models in fostering equitable economic development.
Mary Mattson, LMSW, is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Emergence Collective, a worker-owned cooperative specializing in capacity-building and evaluation services. Before pursuing her Master of Social Work, Mary spent nearly a decade as a professional golfer and collegiate coach, experiences that honed her skills in leadership and tailored coaching. At Emergence Collective, she applies her social work training to maintain a focus on people, communities, and equity, ensuring that their work advances the well-being of partner organizations and the populations they serve. Mary is committed to fostering independence and capacity-building, drawing from her diverse background to support meaningful change.