Workers’ Assembly

Daily business operations are managed by a professional staff, which is organized as the Workers’ Assembly. The Workers’ Assembly elects a liaison to the Board of Directors, and this Board-Staff Liaison acts as the line of accountability between the governance of the Co-op and our business operations.

Newly hired workers go through a one-year apprenticeship period, and upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, are eligible to join the Workers’ Assembly. The Co-op currently employs seventeen workers, of which five are full members of the Workers’ Assembly.

Jeff
Jeff is a professionally trained brewer who was attracted to Black Star Co-op out of a desire to share his creations with the community. Before becoming a brewer, he accumulated over 10 years of experience in science, engineering, and management. Jeff decided that he would rather direct his expertise into the rapidly growing craft beer scene. He graduated from the American Brewer’s Guild Intensive Brewing Science & Engineering program under Master Brewer Steve Parkes and has recently spent 5 weeks training on-site at Founders Brewing Company. Jeff believes that the art and craft of brewing is a unique combination of the sciences, arts, and engineering, and his beers reflect that fusion.

Karinne
Karinne was the third Worker to join the Workers’ Assembly in August of 2009. The former Clementine Coffee Bar owner brought her constructing/permitting and business experience to serving as the Co-op’s build-out manager. She also facilitated Black Star’s LEED certification and anxiously awaits displaying the Co-op’s hard-earned and well-deserved Green Building recognition. She feels privileged to have been a part of a very exciting time in the Co-op’s development and looks forward to what’s to come. She’s passionate about the Co-op being an exemplary model of Cooperative business structure and looks forward to seeing the development of more within Austin. Karinne works alongside Jeff, on the Beer Team, as the assistant brewer/ cellarwoman and currently serves as the Board Staff Liaison.

Dana

Dana joined us in January of 2010, and ran the membership and investment campaign which brought the Co-op from a dream to reality. As a native Texan she has spent most of her life in the North Texas area and is extremely excited to be part of the Austin community. She attended the University of Texas at Dallas where she studied Literature and Philosophy and went to graduate school at Texas Women’s University. She then taught undergraduate Women’s Studies at Texas Woman’s University before leaving academia to join the labor movement as a union organizer. Dana has committed her life to social justice and strongly believes in the transformative power of the co-operative model.

Johnny
With his background in food co-ops and restaurants, Johnny brings to Black Star a dedication to the co-operative movement and a love of great food and excellent customer service. He has eight years of experience in co-ops, including five in management as well as five years of Board experience. As the former Produce Manager at the Wheatsville Food Co-op, he developed relationships with many local farmers from whom we source many of the ingredients for our Texas Pub Fare.