The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program — Events and Interviews

Culture is an essential cornerstone that determines whether employee ownership translates into strong business outcomes and high quality jobs. This session explores the mindset shift required to move from passive participation to a vibrant culture of ownership, as well as the cultural shift required societally to prioritize worker ownership and economic empowerment. Panelists discuss how a strong...

In this video, Bharat Ramamurti — former deputy director of the National Economic Council of the United States — speaks at the 2026 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, which took place June 2-3, 2026, in Washington DC and online. For more information about this session, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website . For additional content from the Forum, visit our...

Employee ownership has a compelling track record, but the model has yet to attract capital at the scale required to address the silver tsunami. That is beginning to change. This panel brings together investors and intermediaries from across the institutional landscape to explore what it would take to make employee ownership a mainstream investment strategy — and what a future looks like in which f...

In this video, Margot Brandenburg — senior program officer for mission investments at The Ford Foundation — speaks at the 2026 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, which took place June 2-3, 2026, in Washington DC and online. For more information about this session, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website . For additional content from the Forum, visit our main...

Our speakers include Sara Horowitz (Founder, Mutualist Society; Founder, Freelancers Union); Esteban Kelly (Executive Director, The US Federation of Worker Cooperatives); Ginny Vanderslice (Principal Emeritus, Praxis Consulting Group); Felipe Witchger (Executive Director, Francesco Collaborative and the Livable Future Impact); and Sean-Tamba Matthew (Shareholder, Stevens & Lee and SES ESOP Str...

In this video, Paula D’Ambrosa — director of inclusive wealth-building at Prudential Financial — delivers opening remarks on day two of the 2026 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, which took place June 2-3, 2026, in Washington DC and online. For more information about this session, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website . For additional content from the Foru...

In this video, Gwyneth Galbraith — vice president and philanthropy program officer at JPMorganChase — delivers closing remarks on day one of the 2026 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, which took place June 2-3, 2026, in Washington DC and online. For more information about this session, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website . For additional content from the...

States are emerging as important laboratories for expanding employee ownership. From experimenting with new financing and investment tools to technical assistance and outreach programs, states are increasingly on the frontlines of helping more businesses transition to employee ownership. This session highlights some of the newest and most promising state-level innovations, the leaders driving them...

In this video, Maureen Conway — a vice president of the Aspen Institute and executive director of the Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program — speaks with Steven Hill — a fellow with the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing and author of the book, “Expand Social Security Now.” This video comes from the 2026 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, which took place Ju...

In this video, Danny Massey — head of strategy and communications for Expanding ESOPs — speaks at the 2026 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, which took place June 2-3, 2026, in Washington DC and online. For more information about this session, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website . For additional content from the Forum, visit our main event page . To view...

Public companies employ the majority of America's workforce, yet broad-based employee ownership remains and profit sharing the exception rather than the rule. This session explores the current landscape of employee ownership in this sector, examines the opportunities and challenges for broader adoption, and discusses how we can realize the enormous untapped potential for expanding ownership cu...

In this video, Loren Rodgers — executive director of the National Center for Employee Ownership — speaks at the 2026 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, which took place June 2-3, 2026, in Washington DC and online. For more information about this session, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website . For additional content from the Forum, visit our main event page...

In this video, Phil Reeves — founder and managing partner of Apis & Heritage — speaks at the 2026 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, which took place June 2-3, 2026, in Washington DC and online. For more information about this session, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website . For additional content from the Forum, visit our main event page . To view more...

American manufacturing continues to face an uncertain future, with decades of offshoring and consolidation hollowing out communities and leaving workers behind. This session explores how employee ownership models can help sustain existing manufacturers, support the rebuilding of domestic production capacity, advance our national competitiveness, and ensure that the workers who make things in Ameri...

In this video, US Senator from Virginia Tim Kaine speaks at the 2026 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, which took place June 2-3, 2026, in Washington DC and online. For more information about this session, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website . For additional content from the Forum, visit our main event page . To view more sessions and event highlights, s...

In this video, Jim Bonham, president and CEO of The ESOP Association, speaks at the 2026 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, which took place June 2-3, 2026, in Washington DC and online. For more information about this session, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website . For additional content from the Forum, visit our main event page . To view more sessions and...

In this video, US Senator from Wisconsin Ron Johnson speaks at the 2026 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, which took place June 2-3, 2026, in Washington DC and online. For more information about this session, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website . For additional content from the Forum, visit our main event page . To view more sessions and event highlights...

Employee ownership looks compelling on paper, but what does it actually mean to have a stake in the place where you work? This session puts employee owners at the center, sharing firsthand accounts of how ownership has changed their relationship to their work, their workplace, and their futures, offering an unfiltered look at the promises and realities of building an economy where more workers hav...

Gina Schaefer — founder and co-owner of A Few Cool Hardware Stores — speaks at the 2026 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, which took place June 2-3, 2026, in Washington DC and online. For more information about this session, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website . For additional content from the Forum, visit our main event page . To view more sessions and...

The Aspen Institute’s Maureen Conway and Rutgers University’s William Castellano give opening remarks at the 2026 Employee Ownership Ideas Forum, which took place June 2-3, 2026, in Washington DC and online. For more information about this session, including a transcript, speaker bios, and additional resources, visit our website . For additional content from the Forum, visit our main event page ....

Artificial intelligence and automation promise to unleash a wave of productivity and economic growth — but without deliberate action, the gains will flow overwhelmingly to those who already own capital, deepening inequality and further disconnecting society from the value it helps create. This session explores how reimagining ownership — from broad-based worker equity to public-interest frameworks...

More than two in five American households struggle to afford basic necessities, like housing, child care, food, and transportation in their communities. In addition to families below the federal poverty level, ALICE® households — those that are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — earn above the poverty line but live paycheck to paycheck. ALICE workers form the backbone of our economy whi...

Improving job quality takes many forms and tactics — as does the funding that supports it. Some businesses need access to capital or technical assistance to build better jobs. Workers and advocates need resources to organize, push for higher standards, and shape the policies that govern work. And the field itself needs investment to grow the knowledge, networks, and infrastructure that make progre...

A young person’s first job is a rite of passage in the US — an opportunity to build skills, save for college, support the family business, or support themselves and their loved ones. And after decades of decline, more teens are working today than at any point since 2008. Yet the labor market often fails them. Many face low wages, unpredictable or burdensome schedules that interfere with school, un...

Finding great employees for any organization can be challenging, and keeping them on board presents its own challenges. In response, many creative leaders are adopting strategies that expand talent pipelines to reach a wider variety of candidates based on skills and competencies. Others are exploring ways to build organizations that support internal growth and leadership with a clearer focus on sk...