Tara Williams, MMCCU

Test Tara Williams (she/her/hers) is a cisgendered woman of mixed Chinese American and White Welsh/English/Dutch decent. She is a settler whose ancestors have had the privilege to live on the unceeded Coast Salish territories of the Musquem, Squamish and T'seleilwatuth nations and the Muwekma Ohlone (Mu wekma Alwan) and Ramaytush (Ra maye aye toosh) nations for generations. She acknowledges her privilege of sometimes presenting white, of being educated at a Masters Level, of being a descendant of Masters Educated parents and for growing up in Canada in a privileged community. Tara is a Founder and Worker-Member-Owner of GIA Consulting Co-operative whose mission is to create a stronger economy by supporting organizations to fully utilize the benefits of the Co-operative Business Model. GIA Consulting Co-op was founded in 2021 by five graduates from the Co-operative Management Education Master’s program at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax. GIA was founded to serve new and established cooperatives by providing support for operations and governance that is grounded in the cooperative principles and values. The members of GIA bring expertise in fields including Human Resources, Supply Chain Management, Executive Leadership, Marketing, Community Development, Member Engagement, Facilities Management, and Social and Environmental Sustainability. Tara specializes in Co-op Development, Marketing, Member Engagement and Human Resources with GIA. She is also a member of the BCCA/ACCA Co-operative Developer Community of Practice. She is a graduate of the International Centre for Co-operative Management Masters of Management in Co-operatives and Credit Unions (MMCCU) where she specialized in Artificial Intelligence and how Co-operatives are strategically positioned to embrace the digital disruption through their Co-operative Identity. Tara also teaches Marketing of the Co-operative Advantage and Oportunity Assessment in Co-operate Now for the BC Co-operative Association and works as a Teaching Assistant with the International Centre of Co-operative Management at St Mary’s in their MMCCU Finance and Reporting class and for undergrads in the Sobey School of Business Co-operative Enterprises course. Tara has worked in Co-operatives for over 15 years at Vancity Credit Union (one of the largest Credit Unions in Canada) in a variety of roles from Human Resources, Digital Marketing, Project Management, Product Management and Operations. She is passionate about community building both digitally and in person and currently sits on the boards of three Co-operatives – Terminal City Glass (where she leads the Human Resources and Co-operative education pieces), the Co-operative Management Education Alumni and Student Co-operative and the Co-operative Management Education Co-operative. Tara also leads a mentoring program for women in Western Canada which connects women and allies across partner organizations of an organization called Bringing Women Together.

Email Address twilliams@gia.coop

Level Developer Member

Start Date April 25, 2022

Website

Region British Colombia

Work in Remote? Yes

Expertise Development, Incorporation, Strategic Planning, Management, Marketing, Policy, Training, Bylaws, Governance, Mentoring, Project Management

Services Co-operative Development Human Resources Member Engagement Marketing AGM Planning Strategic Planning

Languages English

Company GIA Consulting Co-operative