Organizational evolution and collaboration rooted in values.
Strategic support for nonprofits, cooperatives, collaboratives, networks, foundations, and mission-driven organizations ready to evolve — in structure, culture, strategy, and impact.
Building transformative organizations
Organizations, like ecosystems, thrive when they’re tended with care. The organizations and collaboratives I work with are seeking to align their structures with their values, create projects that care for their people and communities, and build cultures where creativity, collaboration, and shared leadership can actually take root.
My approach starts with listening.
Where are you now? What’s alive, what’s stuck, what’s calling to emerge? From there, we shape a path forward together — one that fits your context, your capacity, and the moment you’re in.
I bring over two decades of experience developing cooperatives, building nonprofits, consulting with foundations, growing collaboration, and supporting systems-change initiatives across the Northeast. I also bring creativity, flexibility, and a genuine commitment to helping your organization or collaborative become more of what it’s trying to be.
Emergent strategy and creative planning
Strategic frameworks that provide direction without becoming rigid. I help organizations develop plans that hold vision clearly while staying responsive to what’s emerging — and I engage your team, board, and community in designing the future together rather than receiving it from above.
Collaborative systems change
Consulting and facilitation support for coalitions, collaboratives, networks, and multi-organization initiatives working on systems-level change. I help groups develop collaborative governance structures, shared strategy, and the relational infrastructure that long-term systems work requires.
Cooperative startup and conversion
Support for groups starting worker-owned, producer-owned, or community-owned cooperatives — and for existing businesses exploring conversion to worker or community ownership. I bring experience with democratic governance, cooperative management structures, and the practical questions that make or break new co-ops.
Shared leadership and collaborative structure
Designing leadership models that distribute power meaningfully — with clear roles, accountabilities, and decision-making processes. For organizations ready to move beyond traditional hierarchy without sacrificing clarity or effectiveness.
Project development and management
Support for bringing a project from idea to implementation — convening the right people, sequencing the work, creating actionable plans, and holding the pieces together as things unfold.
Community participation, visioning, and planning
Participatory processes that bring real community voices into planning and decision-making. I design processes that go beyond performative engagement — the kind where community members are genuinely at the table when decisions get made.
Food system consulting
Food has been a through-line in my work for over two decades. I’ve been a farmer, a worker-owner of a café and catering business, a food systems organizer, a cooperative developer, a food system funder, and a consultant to funders and networks across the Northeast.
I bring both practical experience and systems perspective to food system work, including:
Farm-to-institution initiatives, food processing and aggregation projects, farmland access and farmer support, food system philanthropy and funder collaboratives, local food councils and food policy work, community gardening and food security programs, restaurant and food service operations, and teaching cooking, gardening, and nutrition.
If your work touches the food system — whether you’re a foundation, a cooperative, a policy organization, or a community initiative — I’d welcome a conversation.
How I work
Every engagement starts with listening. Before I propose anything, I want to understand your organization, your context, and what you’re actually trying to do. I do this with a short discovery process and conversations with key people on your team.
From there, we design together. Rather than arriving with a template, I work with you to shape an engagement that fits — scope, timeline, deliverables, and investment all tailored to what your organization actually needs.
Engagements may include a mix of facilitation, strategic support, coaching or advising of leaders and teams, structural design work, and the kind of steady outside partnership that helps complex work move forward.
Timelines vary. Some engagements are a few months; others unfold over a year or more. I’m comfortable in both short, focused scopes and longer-term partnerships.
“Energy to put vision into practice”
I worked with Jonah over the course of a year to develop and co-teach the Maine Cooperative Developer training program. Jonah had participated in s similar program as a participant and was excited to turn around and teach what he had learned to others in his community. Jonah prepared well, was a clear and inspiring facilitator, was a model of generosity, and demonstrated hands-down his commitment to growing the cooperative ecosystem in Maine. I admire Jonah’s energy to put his vision into practice. He is one of the most community-minded people I have ever met and I would work with him again in a second.
— Rebecca Bauen, Education and Training Director, Democracy at Work Institute
“Jonah put trust in us”
Jonah was instrumental in helping our grassroots organization at the time when we were starting our organizations, Jonah was one of the people who put trust in us even though we did not know what we were doing.
Jonah sat in many of our discussions, gave us training, and helped us form collaboration among our people while all of these were foreign to our people. Without Jonah and many people like him, we would not have been where we are today.
— Muhidin Libah, Somali Bantu Community Association
“Promoting the Human Spirit”
Jonah’s commitment to social change endeavors has always included attention to promoting the human spirit. The combination of his professional skills and experiences, along with his own spiritual development, has provided a distinctive base for guiding individuals, organizations, and businesses in enhancing community life. His focus on innovative cooperative endeavors addressing themes of racial and economic equity, are among issues of importance to him and vital for positive change given the divisive, disconnected qualities of our dominant culture.
-Bonnie Rukin, former coordinator Slow Money Maine
“Someone who can bridge connections & navigate the complexities”
Jonah has a unique talent for uniting people and driving community collaborations forward. With a fine-tuned understanding of alternative business models and community, he has the skills and the network to make meaningful change happen for individuals, small businesses, and larger initiatives. If you’re looking for someone who can bridge connections and navigate the complexities of innovative business and community thinking, Jonah is the perfect fit!
— Emmy Andersson, Cooperative Maine Business Alliance
Past & Current Projects
A sampling of the organizations, initiatives, and communities I’ve been privileged to work with as a developer, consultant, or facilitator.
Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition: Consultant for the Development of a Cultural Food Hub that will increase access to culturally important foods. 2025-Present
72 Parris St Community Visioning Process: Working with Justin Alfond, who owns 72 Parris St to develop a community visioning process for the re-use of this building in downtown Portland. We have convened over 100 people to share their visions and developed a steering committee to guide the redevelopment. 2023-Present
Cooperative Development Institute: Fundraising and development consultant providing strategic support, developing a 5-year roadmap, and training for Board members. 2025-Present
Prosperity Maine: Strategic plan consulting, including staff and board facilitation and plan development. 2025-Present
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Working Communities Challenge: Consultant in support 3 Maine Communities who received a 3-year grant to work on ambitious systems change goals focused on growing an equitable economy. 2024 to 2025
Second Harvest Partnership: Providing facilitation and collaborative structure support for a collaborative food system project focused on turning B Grade vegetables into processed foods for institutions, food pantries and other markets. 2023-2025
Sustainable Livelihoods Relief Organization: Facilitating strategic planning and staff and board development, training, and coaching for a small Somali organization in Lewiston, Maine. 2024
New Roots Cooperative Farm: Developer supporting a group of Somali Bantu farmers to develop Maine’s first immigrant-owned farm on 30 acres of land in Lewiston, Maine. 2015-2020
Cooperative Maine Business Alliance: Supported the development of a cross-sector network of cooperatives organized around shared learning, marketing and purchasing. 2015-2020