Lab Network

People’s Economy Lab is bigger than just our staff. We’re a network of organizations and individuals building a solidarity economy in Seattle, Washington state, across the country, and around the world. To accomplish a Just Transition, we need to work collectively. Washington needs all of us.

Our partners span from grassroots, BIPOC-led organizations; to peer organizations working in community development; to government agencies and elected officials; to anchor institutions, funders, and investors who are choosing to move from an extractive to a solidarity economy.

Lab Leaders

Our staff team convenes thought leaders from communities most impacted by the extractive economy, supports the incubation of Just Transition projects, and amplifies innovative work that contributes to a solidarity economy.

Faduma Fido

Lab Leader

Professional photo portrait of Shiho Fuyuki

Shiho Fuyuki

Lab Leader

Professional photo portrait of Njuguna Gishuru.

Njuguna Gishuru

Lab Leader

Deric Gruen

Lab Leader

Professional photo portrait of Laura Nash.

Laura Nash

Communications & Network Organizer

Contributors Past & Present

The People’s Economy Lab is guided by community voices and frontline leaders who are rooted in some of the communities most impacted by the current economy. We prioritize Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), immigrants, and people with lower incomes. The faces and names below represent just some of the many experienced and insightful community leaders who inspire our work.

Erin Adams

Seattle Good Business Network

Photo portrait of Gavin Amos smiling

Gavin Amos

Avole Coffee

Bilan Aden

African Community Housing & Development

Professional photo portrait of Lizzy Baskerville

Lizzy Baskerville

Restaurant 2 Garden

Analia Bertoni

Villa Communitaria

Curtis Brown

Brighton Development Group

Photo of Curtiss speaking into a microphone.

Curtiss Calhoun

Curtiss Calhoun Coaching & Consulting

Dion Cook

Denkyem Coop

Shevanthi Daniel-Rabkin from Democracy at Work

Shevanthi Daniel-Rabkin

Democracy at Work

Photo portrait of Gregory Davis smiling

Gregory Davis

Rainier Beach Action Coalition

Kate Donnelly

Laird Norton Wealth Management

Solomon Dubie

Avole Coffee

Sam Farrazaino from Equinox Studios

Sam Farrazaino

Equinox Studios

Ryan Glasgo

Common Future

Christine Hanna from YES! Media

Christine Hanna

Seattle Good Business Network

TraeAnna Holiday

Africatown Community Land Trust

Caleb Jackson

Uplift Investments

Mark Jones PhD

Community Owned Resource Development

Rachel Maxwell

Rachel Maxwell

Community Sourced Capital

Mo! from Got Green

Mo!

Got Green

Sandhya Nakhasi

Common Future

Photo of Kamal in a baseball cap

Kamal Patel

Kamal Design

Elena Perez

Puget Sound Sage

Kristin Pula from Homesight

Kristin Pula

Homesight

Ryan Quigtar from University of Washington

Ryan Quigtar

Renton Innovation Zone Partnership

Victoria Santos of Young Women Empowered

Victoria Santos

Young Women Empowered

Ruth Sawyer

Sierra Club

Kenny Shelton

Denkyem Coop

BJ Stewart

Sunshine Enterprises

Yordanos Teferi

Multicultural Community Coalition

Patrice Thomas from Rainier Beach Action Coalition

Patrice Thomas

Rainier Beach Action Coalition

Sarah Valenta from Homesight

Sarah Valenta

Homesight

Will Von-Geldern from Ventures

Will Von-Geldern

Ventures

Debbie Wege from BECU

Debbie Wege

BECU

Beto Yarce of Ventures

Beto Yarce

Ventures

Boting Zhang

Collaborators & Supporters Past & Present

We collaborate with organizations and coalitions throughout our region and across the country, and we're lucky to be supported by some incredible funders. These are just some of our past and present collaborators and supporters.
Communities of Opportunity logo
Front and Centered logo
New Economy Coalition logo
Northwest Area Foundation logo
Statewide Poverty Action Network logo
Seattle Good Business Network logo
Seattle Foundation logo
Seattle Office of Economic Development logo
Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment logo
Seattle Public Utilities logo
Other past and present collaborators and supporters include the Community-Owned Resource Development Coalition, Cuyamaca Charitable Foundation, and the New Economy Washington Funders Collaborative.