CFNE is excited to welcome Johan Matthews to our team as our Community Engagement Facilitator. In this newly created position, Johan will build partnerships and provide technical assistance to ensure that communities excluded from most economic development benefits can develop co-ops.. He joins CFNE after 8 years of facilitating community and economic engagement in minority, women and low income communities throughout the Capital Region of NYS where he still serves as a trusted collaborator and coach to local leaders striving to create equitable change. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy from SUNY at Buffalo, a Certificate of Graduate Study in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from Rockefeller College, as well as an M.S.in Strategic Design and Management from The Parsons School of Design Strategies. Johan enjoys spending time with his family, enlightening adventures, nights that end in dancing, and devouring vast amounts of chocolates and mangoes. As a carribean immigrant, Johan is especially interested in using cooperatives to create social, racial and economic justice for those who have faced structural barriers to self determination and shared ownership. We look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration!