In this episode of Build Better Boards, host Dr. Keri Jacobs talks with Sylandi Brown (Manager of Communications and Administration, Middle Georgia EMC) about why the cooperative is better understood as a movement than a model, and what that shift means for how boards recruit, govern, and engage the next generation.

• Movement, not model: A model is something you apply. A movement is something you participate in. Sylandi's framing treats the cooperative as a living thing that stretches and changes as membership changes.
• The cooperative identity test: Before asking how to attract younger members, boards should ask whether the seven principles are visible in everyday practice, or whether they only show up on the wall.
• Steward the seat: A director isn't occupying a seat for themselves. They're stewarding it for the membership and the future. That mindset shift changes how boards think about continuity, turnover, and pipeline.
• Engagement beyond the board seat: Advisory councils, committees, and structured touchpoints give members a meaningful voice without forcing a binary choice between the annual meeting and running for election. That matters most for younger members who want to participate before they're ready to run.
• Authenticity is the currency: Younger generations watch the gap between what an organization says and what it does. The co-op values align well with generational values on paper. They only matter if they're lived in leadership behavior and decision-making.

Connect with Sylandi on LinkedIn or at www.sylandibrown.com. Find show notes and more at buildbetterboards.com/podcast.