Meet Our Board

Matthew Currie (president)

Matthew Currie is the Managing Attorney at Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE), a non-profit regional law firm in western Ohio dedicated to providing high-quality legal assistance in civil matters for eligible low-income individuals and groups. As the overseer of the firm's Housing and Community Economic Development practice, Matt specializes in representing tenants and tenant associations, focusing on fair housing, equal access, evictions, subsidy terminations, and conditions issues.

Beyond his legal practice, Matt is deeply engaged in community development and resilience efforts. He co-founded and serves as the Board president of the Greater Dayton Union Cooperative Initiative (GDUCI), also known as Co-op Dayton. This organization pioneers worker-owned cooperatives, utilizing community assets to stimulate economic growth and create grassroots wealth. Matt extends his expertise to advising neighborhood associations and community organizations on environmental issues, including source water drinking protections, industrial contamination impacts, and the EPA's Superfund program.

With a track record of litigating cases in the U.S District Court for the Southern and Northern Districts of Ohio, as well as arguing an appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Matt is an experienced legal professional. He frequently shares his knowledge as a presenter, contributing to the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law Community Lawyering Training as faculty. Additionally, Matt holds the role of Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Dayton School of Law, where he developed and teaches the Social Justice Law Capstone course.

Tim Mislanskey (treasurer)

Tim has spent his career dedicated to credit unions. He currently is the President & CEO at Wright-Patt Credit Union, Ohio’s largest financial cooperative and previously held roles such as Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Lending Officer. Tim has a passion for financial health and well-being and leads his organization to improve the lives of its member owners. Tim became involved in Co-op Dayton because he believes in the power of cooperatives to solve problems and uplift people. In addition to his roles with WPCU and Co-op Dayton, Tim is a board member with the Dayton Development Coalition and numerous credit union organizations and had former board roles with Dayton Ohio Habitat for Humanity and the HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton.

Erica Bruton (Secretary)

Erica Bruton stands as a highly accomplished administrative/project management professional with an illustrious track record spanning over two decades in public administration, community organizing, and political activism. Fueled by an unwavering passion for empowering individuals as agents of change, Erica has held key roles in various capacities within Dayton City Government and local community activism.

Throughout her career, Erica has set herself apart through tireless advocacy, strategic planning, and effective management of initiatives focused on critical areas such as voting, fair housing, fair lending, equal access to opportunities, and co-op development.

As a co-founder of Co-op Dayton, Erica has played a pivotal role in supporting residents, contributing significantly to this cooperative incubator's goal of stimulating economic growth and community development. Moreover, she has served as a project manager for the Gem City Market, where her expertise in project management has been instrumental in the successful establishment of this community-owned grocery store. Widely recognized for her contributions, Erica is affectionately referred to as the "Mother of the Gem City Market.

Carl Kennebrew

I proudly serve as the President of the IUE-CWA, an organization representing over 150,000 active and retired workers across the country, primarily in the manufacturing sector. I have been a member of IUE- CWA for over 30 years, beginning at the Chrysler facility in Dayton, Ohio. After serving several terms as a Local President, I moved to the International as a director and in 2018 was elected the first African- American International President of the IUE-CWA. I also serve as Vice President on the national Executive Board of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Vice Chair of the national board of Jobs to Move America and I am a national board member of the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council, Coalition of Black Trade Unionist, the BlueGreen Alliance, Climate Jobs National Resource Center, and the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance. I also serve on several local and regional boards, including CO-OP Dayton, Montgomery County Workforce Investment, Dayton Metro Library, and the Ohio AFL-CIO Executive Board. I am grateful to be able to contribute to causes of justice, both local and national, through my work in these organizations.

In addition to fighting for workers’ rights, I am passionate about being an active member of the community. Developing and coaching people has been a lifelong interest for me. I am a certified life coach and John Maxwell Certified Leadership Trainer and Mediator. After serving as a youth mentor in the Dayton area, I saw the need for a pipeline for students to build careers in manufacturing. Since then, I have been working with greater Dayton area schools to provide training and access to manufacturing careers for students. I was recognized as 2017 Top Ten African American Males. Additionally, receiving the 2017 Staircase to Excellence Award, the 2017 United Way Volunteer of The Year Award, and Dayton’s 2017 Men of Influence. I am an active member of Revival Center Ministries, where I serve as head of the Men’s Ministry.

Mayor Rhine Mclin

A Dayton native, Rhine McLin has a long history of active community involvement, which attests to her commitment to public service. In 2002, she became the third African American Mayor and the first female Mayor in the city’s history. She previously served six years in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1988 to 1994, and was then elected State Senator for the 5th Ohio Senate District, serving Montgomery and Miami counties. When elected in 1994, she became the first African American woman to serve in the Ohio Senate. In 1998, McLin was elected by her peers to serve in leadership as the Minority Whip. Two years later, she was elected again to serve in the Senate leadership as Minority Leader and the first woman. A strong advocate for education, currently, McLin supports students as a substitute teacher in the Dayton Public School system. She is a member of the Montgomery County Board of Elections. In addition, McLin serves as commentator of a weekly WDAO AM/FM Radio call-in talk show, entitled “Fluff & Stuff,” which shares facts, trivia, and lighthearted information. She also hosts “Funk Chronicles” on DATV which interviews people from the funk era and supports the Funk Music Hall of Fame and Exhibition Center in Dayton.

Jeffrey steed

Jeffrey Steed, a resident of Dayton for the majority of his life, joined Co-Op Dayton in 2023. He earned his BS in accounting from Central State University and an MBA from Wright State University with a focus in Finance and is currently the owner of Unitary Accounting Services. He has served on the board of Mercy Manor and is currently the acting CFO for Wesley Dayton. He has a passion for serving the Dayton community and it’s revitalization.

Clay Dixon, emeterius