Executive Secretary’s Message - August 2026

Growing the Cooperative Message

This is my sixth time traveling to Georgia with outstanding students from our Virginia Institute on Cooperative Education. The Georgia Cooperative Leadership Conference, held at their wonderful FFA/FCCLA Center outside Covington, just keeps getting better!

Georgia Cooperative Council Executive Director Kristi Greer and I work together to develop the schedule for the week. This includes a mix of icebreakers and team-building activities that help the camp’s seven groups as they brainstorm to develop business plans for new cooperatives that could fulfill unmet needs in their communities, thus serving their members. This year’s students did an outstanding job on their final presentations, showing they’d truly absorbed the unique spirit and focus of cooperatives.

For this year’s Co-op Month, we’re excited to partner with the Southside Virginia Community College on Sept. 30 for a Co-op Career Exploration Expo immediately following the breakfast and awards. I hope you’ll bring several attendees from your cooperative for the Co-op Month awards breakfast, during which keynote speaker Dr. Quentin Johnson will discuss the emerging role of Virginia’s community colleges in preparing young Virginians for success in an ever-changing career environment.

• Mary Howell, VCC Executive Secretary