WE ARE MORE THAN STAFF - WE'RE A COLLECTIVE!

DANIELLE LEBLANC - CO-OP DEVELOPER

Danielle LeBlanc is invested in promoting financial inclusion, entrepreneurship and community development. Currently, she consults with small businesses, start-ups and nonprofits on such matters as marketing and proposal development. She worked at the microfinance nonprofit, Grameen America for 4 years as a fundraiser and project manager. Danielle’s first encounter with microfinance was when she did an analysis of microfinance provision in the Philippines for Catholic Relief Services. At LISC, Ms. LeBlanc provided capital loans to nonprofit organizations. She also managed a grant program for capacity building and capital projects while at the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone.           

Ms. LeBlanc has a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree from Brown University. She is a 2010 Leadership Newark Fellow. Danielle was deployed as a Red Cross volunteer to Gulfport, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina and served as a volunteer disaster responder for four years.

You can reach Danielle at [email protected].

LUCRETIA JOHN - DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

My name is Lucretia John and I am the descendant of warriors and heroes. 

I am dedicated to working across difference to build community for racial and gender justice, healing, and transformation. This life work has been actualized through community organizing, grantmaking, resource sharing (via institutional and individual giving), food justice, and connecting to and implementing strategies for long-term individual, communal, and ecological sustainability.  As a Project manager trained as a farm manager, I have convened spaces for QTPOC and POC farmers, foodies, and food justice workers for visibility and relationship building.  The daughter of Afro-Caribbean immigrants, my vision is deeply rooted in seeking out and sharing stories of migration, land, and agriculture.  With a long connection to seeding new growths and harvesting the results over time, my interests and experiences weave together seamlessly. A longtime science nerd and community organizer, I initially came to urban farming for my own healing and self-care. Along the way, I discovered not only renewal and restoration but also the ways that nature speaks to the cycles of relationships in life.  

In addition, I hold a BA in Psychology (with a double minor in Mathematics and American Literature) from Manhattanville College and is a graduate of Farm School NYC.

You can reach Lucretia at  [email protected]

MELAT SEYOUM - CO-OP LEARNING INSTITUTE DIRECTOR

You can reach Melat at [email protected]