With the opening of the Washington Center for Employee Ownership (WACEO), the national network of State Centers for Employee Ownership now numbers 24 – almost half of the country!  See the map of State Centers here and meet all the leaders of those centers here.

WACEO’s purpose is to ​1) Increase awareness, build practitioner capacity, engage government, and expand access to capital for employee-owned enterprises; 2) Be a resource to businesses looking to transition to or form as employee-owned enterprises, and 3) Work to create more employee-owned enterprises.

Each State Center has a unique origin story. The Whatcom Community Foundation – which played an essential role in the creation of the new center – will be the incubator and legal home for WACEO until the center is ready to transition to a standalone organization.

Recently, WACEO hired its first Director, Patricia Kwan. Kwan brings years of experience working in a wide variety of established and start-up business settings in business development, strategy, and operations roles. She has an MBA from Yale University and a BS from University of California, Berkeley.

The Whatcom Community Foundation President and CEO, Mauri Ingram, said of Kwan’s hire, “This appointment marks an exciting step forward in our mission to champion employee ownership - and expand opportunities for employees to prosper - across Washington state. We're eager for the Center to serve as a beacon for those curious about this transformative business model, and Patricia's leadership will be instrumental in guiding our efforts to educate, advocate, and inspire.”



For more information about WACEO or to get involved, reach out to Patricia Kwan, Director, at patricia@employeeownershipwa.org or 510-717-5470.