Our all volunteer team cares deeply and passionately about the future of the Students’ Co-operative. While managing our own busy lives and careers, we have stepped up to meet several times a week to make sure the rehabilitation and relaunch will meet with success. We want to make sure the Co-op is here for years to come.
Tom Baumgartner (he/him) President 2010s Alumnus
Tom is an alumnus who recently rejoined the resident membership. He is dedicated to the change from a house with a transition board to a house with a live-in membership board.
Ian Morris (he/him) Vice President 1990s Alumnus
Ian is a healthcare technology consultant who lived at the Co-op from 1994 to 1997. Ian served as House Manager and was responsible for ensuring the completion of house jobs assigned to residents. While living at the Co-op, he participated in projects such as the rebuilding of the third-floor bathroom and the replacement of the back deck. Ian believes that the Co-op taught him lifelong lessons about working with people from diverse backgrounds and finding common ground among people with differing goals. Ian holds a journalism degree from the University of Minnesota, and currently resides in Seattle. As Vice President, Ian is committed to a Co-op that is financially sustainable and provides safe and comfortable housing for its residents. He believes that the Co-op is a valuable part of the University of Minnesota community, and is dedicated to ensuring its continued success.
Charles Lehnen (he/him) Treasurer 2011-2012 Alumnus
Charles is a biologist who lived in the Students’ Co-op from 2011 through 2012, serving as Maintenance Manager and President during key restoration efforts in the building, including the replacement of all windows to restore the physical and historic integrity of the property. After moving out, he maintained a relationship with the house as a boarder until 2014 and worked as a core member of the team who produced the intentional communities ordinance, passed by the City of Minneapolis in December, 2016.
Maxeem is an artist who called the Students’ Co-op home from Spring 2011 through Summer 2012, and Spring 2014 through Summer 2015, serving in Bathroom Duty, Maintenance Manager, Treasurer and Secretary roles. In 2011 the house initiated exterior restoration efforts under Heritage Preservation Commission standards. Inspired, he took an English-teaching contract in Korea to raise funds for a second Co-op. Upon return in Spring 2014, the house had shifted from expansion to reorganization! Since moving to Phoenix in 2015, he’s researched and visited a number of intentional communities and become an involved alumnus, while living with his life partner (who is also an artist). They’re now planning a sustainable community to serve low-income artists.
Lev Roth (they/them) Alumnus Advisor 2010s Alumnus
Lev lived at the Students’ Co-operative in the 2010s and is eager to help the Students’ Co-op membership with all questions about co-operative living at the house.
Hannah Campbell (she/her) Board Member at Large 2000s Alumnus
Hannah lived in the Students’ Co-operative in the early 2000’s while in school at the University of Minnesota for her undergraduate degrees. While in the Co-op she served as Food Plan Manager. She is passionate about volunteering in her hometown community of Minneapolis and greater Minnesota. Specifically focused on refugee assistance, affordable housing, and preserving woodlands. She currently lives in Woodbury, MN and works as a continuous improvement leader.
Ellery Wealot (he/him) Board Member at Large 2017 Alumnus
Ellery lived in the Students’ Co-op in 2017 after graduating from the University of MN-Morris, where he’d studied financial and organizational management, While in the Students’ Co-op, he served as Education Manager, President and Treasurer. Prior to joining the Students’ Co-op, Ellery was involved in the cooperative movement in a variety of ways. He first discovered co-ops while working for Wisconsin Farmers Union during his Summers in college. He started a co-op education club at the University of Minnesota-Morris, researched worker co-ops for his undergraduate senior seminar, and facilitated co-op workshops in Minnesota, New York, Colorado, Michigan, and Alberta. In 2016-2017, He worked with Cooperative Development Services to research economic trends in rural Minnesota and the role of co-ops in these communities. He served as the first President of the Transitional Board when it was formed in 2022. Currently Ellery lives in Minneapolis and works in the compliance billing industry for a company headquartered in St. Paul. He is still very passionate about cooperatives and intentional communities.
