Ed Democracy

Current

Community Division Organizer at Common Good Bank
Cooperator at Cooperative Maine
Organizer at Community Action Network for Sustainable Organizing (CANSO)

President & CEO at Maine Beacon Communications

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Past

VISTA Volunteer at Americorps VISTA
Supervisor at US Navy
State Coordinator at Brown for President 1992 - MAINE

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Education

University of Southern Maine

Connections

61 connections

Industry

Civic & Social Organization

Websites

Ed Democracy’s Summary

* Community Organizing (25 years experience)

GOALS:

A. Sustainable Organizing
+ collaboration on development of innovative models
+ collaboration on implementation of innovative models

B. Writing
+ articles & papers
+ books
+ movies

C. Resource Acquisition
+ sufficient to support Goal A, above
+ sufficient to create time for Goal B, above

Ed Democracy’s Specialties:

* community organizing
* grassroots communications tools

Ed Democracy’s Experience

Community Division Organizer

Common Good Bank

(Financial Services industry)

March 2009 — Present (5 months)

Portland will be the first community in Maine with a Common Good Bank.

We are building a network of 50 CDOs nationwide to prepare for launch of a new model of bank.

Not just another bank with a social mission.
This is a social mission with a bank!

* All profits go to schools and other nonprofits.
* Depositors decide what the bank should invest in.
* Free local credit card processing for local businesses.
* Micro-loans for new businesses and community projects.
* A full range of secure, FDIC-insured banking services.
* Committed to sustainability and economic justice.

http://www.commongoodbank.com
Cooperator

Cooperative Maine

(Civic & Social Organization industry)

March 2007 — Present (2 years 5 months)

Cooperative Maine promotes cooperative development throughout Maine. We recognize the cooperative business model as the best one for sustainable community & economic development. We provides resources & technical assistance to both start-up and existing cooperatives of all forms - consumer, producer, worker, utilities, finance, food, housing, health, childcare, transportation, legal, etc..
Organizer

Community Action Network for Sustainable Organizing (CANSO)

(Civic & Social Organization industry)

October 2002 — Present (6 years 10 months)
President & CEO

Maine Beacon Communications

(Civic & Social Organization industry)

June 1998 — Present (11 years 2 months)
VISTA Volunteer

Americorps VISTA

(Civic & Social Organization industry)

August 2004 — March 2007 (2 years 8 months)
Supervisor

US Navy

(Government Agency; USN; Military industry)

September 1993 — September 2001 (8 years 1 month)

Boatswain's Mate Petty Officer 2nd Class (E-5)
Active Duty 1993-1996
State Coordinator

Brown for President 1992 - MAINE

(Civic & Social Organization industry)

1992 — 1992 (less than a year)

Ed Democracy’s Education

University of Southern Maine

BA , Philosophy , 1983 — 1999

Also studied: Mathematics, Computer Science, Political Science, Communication

Activities and Societies:

USM Student Senate,
USM Human Rights Coalition,
USM PIRG,
Maine Coalition On Undoing Racism,
USM Board of Student Organizations,
USM Philosophy Symposium

Additional Information

Ed Democracy’s Websites:

Ed Democracy’s Interests:

Clean air, clean water, good food, humanity, fatherhood, neighborhood, peace, justice, organizing, Democracy 2.0, Neighborhoods 2.0, writing, reading, movies, walking, hiking, biking, canoeing.

Ed Democracy’s Groups:

Portland Tenants Union, Portland Food Co-op, Cooperative Maine, Childrens Healthy Environment Campaign, Maine Peoples Alliance, Maine Association of Interdependent Neighborhoods, We Who Care