Karen Weldon

Karen’s career and studies focus on food sustainability, rural development, and clean energy in the Upper Midwest and Japan, work that often intersects with cooperatives. One of her first jobs was working for Northcountry Cooperative Foundation’s Traveling Cooperative Institute, a cooperative business education program for young adults. She focused on cooperatives again as a graduate student at the University of Michigan, where she wrote her master’s thesis on sustainability programs run by the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives. After receiving her MA and MS in 2023, Karen joined the Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, where she primarily evaluates clean energy assistance. She is currently a member and president of the board of Omega House, an intentional community and land cooperative in Minneapolis and Frederic, WI.