Joe Rinehart is the Rural Programs Coordinator at the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives.  He got involved in the worker cooperative movement as a Peer Advisor in the Democracy at Work Network. Joe is a former worker-owner at Firestorm Café & Books and instructor at Appalachian State University.  Prior to that, he completed a Master’s degree in Industrial Technology at Appalachian State University with a focus on bio-fuels production, on-farm technologies and renewable energy.  He taught in the Technology department and co-created and taught a course on Cooperatives and their role in sustainable development. Joe currently serves on the board of the Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy.  When at home in Brooklyn, NY he is generally working on perfecting his Kimchi recipe, riding his bike to the edges of the city, contra-dancing or trying to find a time and place to build an aquaponics system.