We are happy to announce that two of our CFNE colleagues are starting off 2024 with new titles. Johan Matthews is now our Ecosystem Strategy Manager, and Josie Shagwert is now our Capital and Culture Manager.
Johan, a member of our Learning Team for three years, has been known until now as our Community Engagement Facilitator. Through his work coaching and connecting with cooperators and (to use a phrase we are pretty sure he coined) the co-op curious, Johan has played a key role within our local ecosystem as well as the national cooperative movement; helping to found emergent strategies and organizations such as the Co-op CNXN and the National Association of Black Cooperators. In his new role, Johan will continue to co-design strategies + cultivate relationships that facilitate the development of equitable co-op ecosystems across the northeast. His work will ensure that CFNE stays engaged in the exciting conversations and initiatives that link cooperatives across the northeastern U.S. and beyond. While he continues to provide technical assistance, his new title reflects his role in building our strategic participation in our wider ecosystem.
For the past four years Josie has been known as our Administrative Manager. In that role, she brought CFNE a higher level of operational capacity, including paving the way to create a few new positions that further increased our capacity to effectively live our mission and carry out our strategic plan. Drawing on her background in fundraising and organizational development, her new role and title reflects her shift into focusing on those areas, including investor and donor management, cultivation, and relations; resource mobilization (investments, charitable donations and grants); and organizational culture projects (HR).
When you see them congratulate and thank them for their contributions to the co-op ecosystem.