Tune in to WOL 1450 AM on Thursday, August 21, at 10:30 a.m. for Everything Coop, hosted by Vernon Oakes. This week Vernon interviews John Zippert, Director of Program Operations for the Federation of Southern Cooperatives Land Assistance Fund. Click here to listen.

John Zippert has over 45 years experience in community organizing, cooperative and credit union development, community based economic development and rural development in distressed communities. Prior to working for the Federation, he was a fieldworker for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in Louisiana. He has a BA degree in history from the City College of New York; and has received extensive training in rural development.

Zippert has worked with the Federation on the development of affordable housing for low income people in Alabama, including development, loan packaging and construction of over 250 units of single family housing, self-help housing and four rural multi-family projects with 126 units. He also serves on the boards of many regional and national organizations to support rural development activities.

Zippert and his wife Carol are co-publishers of the Greene County Democrat, the weekly newspaper in their home rural community. They have published the newspaper since it was acquired in December 1984 by a community group in the county. The Zippert’s have three children and 11 grandchildren.

Vernon Oakes is President of Oakes Management Inc. As President, he has renovated and managed his own properties, and those owned by other entities since 1985. This former coordinator of the MBA program at Howard University, and MBA graduate of Stanford University, has used his business acumen to benefit the community by providing quality housing for all populations and being a consummate advocate for cooperatives.