morning workshops & presenters
alida peterson
research coordination consultant – local food switchboard
Alida Peterson is the Food Systems Coordinator for the Maine Farm & Sea to Institution Network at Healthy Communities of the Capital Area and the Research Coordination Consultant for the Maine Food Convergence Project’s Local Food Switchboard. With a background in farm to school programming, local food access, and food system research, she works to strengthen connections across Maine’s institutional food supply chain. Alida is also a master’s candidate in the Food Systems program at the University of Vermont, where she focuses on supply chain coordination and local food procurement.
Ana Martina
community organizer and facilitator – Colmenar Cooperative Consulting
Ana Martina (she/ella/they/elle) is a chilenga community organizer and facilitator. Committed to principles and practice of Solidarity Economy and Feminist Economies, her organizing and early work a couple decades ago was linked to the Indymedia and Zapatista Solidarity movements in Mexico. During her 5 years as Membership Director at the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives Ana Martina developed an in-depth understanding of the landscape of workplace democracy across the U.S. She is dedicated to promoting and advising others on best practices for democratic governance and organizational accountability.
aNNIE DORAN
Coordinating Director – Maine Food Convergence Project
Consultant & Facilitator – Imaginal Systems Consulting
Annie’s work centers on co-creating thriving, community-rooted livelihoods through systems change that begins with the personal and interpersonal, and extends to culture and policy. Her experience spans from supporting a women’s artisan collective in Brazil to advancing food and climate justice efforts and cooperatives across New England. Alongside her consulting practice, Annie serves as Coordinating Director of the Maine Food Convergence Project, where she nurtures collaborative, trust-based spaces for transformative initiatives like the Local Food Switchboard to take root and flourish.
AZENAIDE Lowatiwiya
community Associate Loan and Investment Officer – cei
Azenaide Lowatiwiya served as CEI’s 2024 Justice Fellow with the lending team. She previously worked as a program specialist with CEI’s Workforce Solutions team for the Child Care Business Lab.
Lowatiwiya was among the first to apply for the pilot cohort of the Child Care Business Lab, where she supported five women who immigrated from Angola in launching a cooperative child care center in Lewiston. In her new role, she focused on expanding child care options in Lewiston’s Tree Streets neighborhood—one of Maine’s most diverse areas and home to the state’s highest density of children.
Through recent community listening sessions, she identified a pressing need for culturally appropriate, high-quality, and affordable child care that accommodates nontraditional work hours. Lowatiwiya now serves as an associate loan officer at CEI, helping clients access financing to grow their businesses.
chris linder
community Loan and outreach officer – Cooperative Fund Of the Northeast
Chris Linder is a Loan and Outreach Officer for CFNE in Maine. He joined in 2021, supporting borrowers, managing the loan portfolio, and marketing CFNE in the state. Prior to CFNE, Chris directed MaineStream Finance, a nonprofit lender/CDFI focused on mortgage and small business lending. He has led teams on enterprise development, product development, and digital finance in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Chris was introduced to cooperative finance as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali. He has also worked in commercial banking and consulting to secure financing for healthcare institutions and nonprofits. Chris holds an MBA from Babson College.
desiree Lester
cooperative development fellow – Cooperative fund of the northeast
Desiree is a connector, strategist, and builder of impactful programs that center equity and access. She has a strong track record in fundraising, donor relations, and nonprofit leadership, securing major gifts and managing initiatives that create real opportunities for underrepresented communities. From leading artist residencies and cooperative business programs to serving on advisory boards and launching innovative partnerships, she thrives at the intersection of culture, community, and economic development. With a hands-on, people-first approach, Desiree is committed to driving meaningful, lasting change through collaboration and creative problem-solving.
Katherine Bessey
Director of Cooperative Business Services – Cooperative Development Institute
Katherine has over six years of experience developing cooperative enterprises with a special focus in cooperative food systems and childcare. She is passionate about problem solving, research, and people, positioning her well as a technical support for complex cooperative start-up and transformation projects at CDI. She holds a MA in Sustainable Development and a BA in Mathematics and brings over 10 years of prior experience as a Data and Research Analyst in international development consulting to CDI. Outside of her work with CDI, Katherine loves the outdoors and spending time farming and gardening with her family in Sumner, Maine.
Laura King
leadership coach, facilitator, and mediator – Columinate
Laura King is a Leadership Coach, Facilitator, and Mediator who centers human relationships, mindfulness, and communication. She believes growing cooperative communities starts with growing each unique person. With 25 years of experience exploring the art and science of adult development, she guides leaders to stretch inward, fostering embodied leadership and deeply connected teams. Laura holds an MA in Comparative Education from the University of Maryland College Park and has decades of experience in coaching, human resources, and the cooperative movement. She brings a unique alchemy of lightness, wisdom, and care to her work. In her free time, she hikes, reads, plays with words and poetry, and cold plunges with her partner across New England.
Ryan demers
cooperative development specialist – cooperative development institute
Development Specialist in CDI’s Business Ownership Solutions (BOS) Program. Ryan works with existing businesses, the owner(s), and their employees to support an employee buyout, and supports the cooperative after a transaction takes place. Ryan focuses on financial education, board training, management training, and designs customized workshops for clients based on their needs. From his work as a food co-op GM, he brings great skills and experience in cooperative management and board development, conflict resolution, human resources, and financial analysis and education.
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