36 | From Model to Movement: Reframing to Engage the Next Generation

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.