Karissa Frolov
CEAD Program Associate
Karissa’s passion lies in exploring our relationship with the earth and understanding how important it is to recognize our impact on the environment around us. Her commitment deepens our capacity to embed sustainability concepts into CEAD programming at Collective REMAKE. Karissa started taking Collective REMAKE’s workshops in 2022 and went on to complete the Train-the-Trainer program in 2023. As our CEAD Program Associate, Karissa is now our lead facilitator for the Introduction CEAD workshop series and is working with new trainees to become future Cooperative Education facilitators and to expand Collective REMAKE’s capacity to reach more people.
Jay Newson
Program Assistant
As a Program Assistant, Jay co-facilitates Collective REMAKE’s CEAD workshops where he helps deliver culturally responsive, trauma informed, participatory curriculum. He also supports the development of the Green Halcone’s urban garden, beautification, and recycling co-operative driven by a deep commitment to advancing worker-owned cooperatives as vehicles for economic justice and collective growth. Newson has a background in Business Management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Lawson State Community College. His community practice is grounded in sound business principles.
Lainisha Pounds
Program Assistant
As Program Assistant, Lainisha Pounds is a co-facilitator for Collective REMAKE Introduction Co-operative Education and Development workshop; as well as supporting critical administrative tasks. Lainisha took Collective REMAKE’s workshops in 2022 and joined the Train-the-Trainer program in 2024. She brings over 30 years of entrepreneurial experience to connect with participants with a ‘real-life’ point-of-view and to help them make the transition from the current way of living to cooperative way. Lainisha Pounds brings warmth, empathy, and vision to every workshop. By modeling cooperative values like solidarity, equity, and democratic participation, she demonstrates that life is not just about struggling for survival, but about creating a new way of belonging, and thriving.
Mary Sutton, Ph.D. Design and Management
Founder and Board Member
Mary Sutton has been an activist for most of her life, beginning in the anti-apartheid movement in Minneapolis and continuing in Los Angeles through local and statewide coalitions to stop prison and jail expansion. She designed Collective REMAKE while completing her MA in Urban Sustainability at Antioch University Los Angeles and recently earned her Ph.D. in Leadership and Change at Antioch University.
At Collective REMAKE, Sutton works to promote cooperative education and development programs and to implement democratic, participatory practices. She brings over 25 years of experience in non-profit management, development, and programming.
Charlene Tan
Co-op Business Development
Charlene is a food sovereignty advocate. She’s most proud of co-founding and co-nurturing Good Food Community, a social enterprise, in the Phillipines, that promotes solidarity economy and food activism through community shared agriculture. The almost 15 years of growing this grassroots, democratically-run community organization has informed her sense of possibility and purpose. She is thrilled to be able to offer her experience and energy as a Co-op Business Development Manager of Collective REMAKE.