Project Equity co-founder Hilary Abell appointed to new employee ownership leadership role at U.S. Department of Labor

The U.S. Department of Labor last month announced the hiring of Hilary Abell to serve as Division Chief of the department's new Employee Ownership Initiative.

Administered through the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)'s Office of Outreach Education and Assistance (OEA), the Employee Ownership Initiative was created through the Worker Ownership, Readiness and Knowledge Act as part of the FY 2023 Federal Appropriations and Funding Bill. During a recent White House Convening on Worker Ownership, EBSA Assistant Secretary Hon. Lisa Gomez expressed excitement for the agency's new role in promoting employee ownership and to have Hilary Abell as Division Chief.

"By launching this initiative, the Employee Benefits Security Administration is working to help balance the distribution of power in America's workplaces and empower the workers who fuel their employers' ability to be successful day in, day out, while educating employers about how worker ownership can be good for business," Assistant Secretary Gomez said.

Prior to joining DOL, Hilary co-founded Project Equity, a national organization that helps local businesses transition to employee ownership.

As Division Chief, Hilary Abell will oversee the Employee Ownership Initiative tasked with promoting and facilitating the expansion of employee-ownership including worker cooperatives. In addition to creating a clearinghouse or state programs and educational outreach on Employee Ownership models, the initiative may provide grants to states for technical assistance and other activities beginning in FY 2025, subject to appropriations in the federal budget.

Prior to joining EBSA, Hilary co-founded Project Equity, was a worker-owner at Equal Exchange and authored numerous publications on cooperative development and employee ownership.

"This national Employee Ownership Initiative is an unprecedented investment by our federal government," Abell told the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives. "It represents an opportunity to build on the momentum that employee ownership has gained in recent years and to enable many more people across the country to experience the benefits of worker voice and ownership. I am honored to take on this challenge."

About the FY 2025 Federal Budget for the Employee Ownership Initiative

The DOL FY 2025 Budget requested over $205 million for EBSA including the initiative, and the Senate FY 2025 Labor-HHS Budget Proposal would provide over $206 million while the House FY 2025 Labor-HHS Budget Proposal would only provide $181.1 million. Congress has until September 30, 2024 to pass the FY 2025 Federal Budget or a short-term extension to avoid a federal shutdown. With the higher amount included in the Senate proposal EBSA and the OEA would have increased resources to administer programs including potential grants through the Employee Ownership Initiative.

NCBA CLUSA continues to advocate for policies to support employee ownership through worker cooperatives as part of our engagement with the 118th Congress. To learn more about our policy priorities, view our 2024 Policymakers Guide or email [email protected].

Learn more about the DOL Employee Ownership InitiativeSubscribe to EBSA updates

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.