The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program — Events and Interviews

In this clip, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Gwyneth Galbraith speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. 

For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/jpmorgan-chase-co-s-gwyneth-galbraith-speaks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/ 

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In this clip, ESCA President Stephanie Silverman speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. 

For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/esca-president-stephanie-silverman-speaks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/ 

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For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute ...

Health care is one of our nation’s largest industries and employers. Though worker-owned cooperatives have a fairly significant presence in this industry, largely through home care, only about 2% of ESOPs are in healthcare. But these dynamics may also change as more clinics, private practices, and direct-care companies look to employee ownership to strengthen their performance, create better jobs, and retain their independence. Som...

Improving job quality doesn’t just benefit workers; it can also strengthen small businesses themselves and the broader communities they serve. Yet, many small business owners lack the resources and knowledge needed to improve the quality of their jobs. Trusted partners, like community development financial institutions (CDFIs), can make a meaningful difference.

Through its Shared Success demonstration, the Aspen Institute’s <...

In this clip, NCEO Executive Director Loren Rodgers speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. 

For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/nceo-executive-director-loren-rodgers-speaks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/ 

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For other session videos, visit the Aspen Inst...

Small businesses are the backbone of American communities and form one of the nation’s most trusted institutions. Restaurants and retail stores on Main Street, auto repair shops, construction contractors, daycare centers, beauty salons, barber shops, and various service-based businesses, among others, are a key part of the social and economic fabric of America. But they face a number of challenges, including accessing capital, high...

Employee ownership has gained increasing recognition and support from investors in recent years. However, attracting scaled institutional capital remains a challenge for the field. The perceived complexity of employee ownership, uncertainty about returns, regulatory and fiduciary challenges, and a lack of understanding about how the model works pose significant challenges to capital market adoption. In this conversation from the 20...

In this clip, the Ford Foundation’s Margot Brandenburg speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/the-ford-foundations-margot-brandenburg-speaks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/ 

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For other session videos, visit the Aspen...

Markets and our economy don’t just happen — they’re crafted. While we often hear about the “free market” as a natural force governed by the invisible hand, the reality is far more intentional. In the US, markets are shaped by the decisions of policymakers, business leaders, and advocates. These decisions determine who benefits, who bears the risk, and what goals we prioritize. Understanding markets means understanding the people wh...

In this clip, ASU’s Dr. Christos Makridis speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/asus-dr-christos-makridis-speaks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/ 

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For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportu...

American workers have faced numerous setbacks in the 21st century, including the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, continued wage stagnation, and an escalated cost of living. While workers made some gains following the pandemic, thanks to a tight labor market and because of a spike in organizing, many still feel their needs are unmet, a major theme of the recent election. Too many workers still live in precarity — a situation...

Lauren Starks, director of Good Companies/Good Jobs at the Aspen Institute, recently sat down with two Shared Success grantees — Andrea Levy, senior program manager at California Farmlink, and Janet Brugger, Business Navigator, Colorado Enterprise Fund — to discuss how they’ve worked with various public and private partners to recruit small businesses and provide technical assistance with an eye toward providing quality jobs.

Ab...

Markets and our economy don’t just happen — they’re crafted. While we often hear about the “free market” as a natural force governed by the invisible hand, the reality is far more intentional. In the US, markets are shaped by the decisions of policymakers, business leaders, and advocates. These decisions determine who benefits, who bears the risk, and what goals we prioritize. Understanding markets means understanding the people wh...

In this clip, UNI’s Leslie Wilson speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. 

For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/unis-leslie-wilson-shares-her-big-idea-for-employee-ownership/ 

Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/

For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on YouT...

In this clip, Reason Magazine’s Jesse Walker speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. 

For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/reason-magazines-jesse-walker-shares-his-big-idea-for-employee-ownership/ 

Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/

For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opportu...

In this clip, Apis and Heritage’s Phil Reeves speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. 

For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/apis-and-heritages-phil-reeves-shares-his-big-idea-for-employee-ownership/ 

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For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Oppor...

In this clip, Tammy Miller, former lieutenant governor of North Dakota, speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. 

For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/tammy-miller-former-lieutenant-governor-of-north-dakota-speaks-at-the-2025-employee-ownership-ideas-forum/ 

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For othe...

Maureen Conway, executive director of the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, recently sat down with two Shared Success grantees that are integrating job quality into their portfolios as investors: Viola Mai, development director at ICA Fund, and Robert Anderson, business navigation director at Colorado Enterprise Fund.

As investors, ICA and Colorado Enterprise Fund have both incorporated job quality assessments as part...

In this clip, CUNY’s Jessica Gordon-Nembhard speaks at the 2025 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum. For additional resources, visit our website: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/videos/jessica-gordon-nembhard-discusses-her-big-idea-for-employee-ownership/ 

Or subscribe to our podcast and listen on the go: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/aspeneop/

For other session videos, visit the Aspen Institute Economic Opport...