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Michele Metts

Worker-Owner / Public speaker, industry organizer, advisor

As a public speaker Micky brings the Agaric message of cooperative development using free software, to many networks and movements. 

Micky is involved in the “free software for community building” movement and the Platform Cooperativism movement. She helps Agaric's work contribute back to these movements. She also handles some administrative tasks, public outreach, and support as part of the team. She is the host of a BigBlueButton chat server and has built CommunityBridge in an effort to unite networks and movements with a safer platform to host events and meetings. Presenting options for alternatives to Corporate proprietary software is her goal.

Micky is a worker/owner of Agaric and a member of many “free software" networks and movements - using tools like VOIP, Drupal, and introducing people to GNU/Linux operating system. She is a liaison between the US Solidarity Economy Network (SEN) a group devoted to ongoing dialog on building the new economy network - and US Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC), the national grassroots organization of 4,000 US worker-owners “building power with national and international partners to advance an agenda for economic justice rooted in community-based, shared ownership.”

Working within organizations such as MayFirst Movement Technology, SnowDrift, Platform Cooperativism Consortium, The Center for Global Justice and The Greater Boston Chamber of Cooperatives, MassMesh and others, Micky enjoys raising awareness of free software, cooperative business models and local opportunities that exist. As a member of MayFirst Movement Technology board, Micky works with technical activists to connect people with the information and tools they need to move from being a local or global network to being part of a global movement based on solidarity.

Micky believes that the workers’ economy needs Free software tools to protect our freedoms. Free software liberation & cooperative development -- converge in her presentations. Micky is also a member of the Drupal community, an International group based on a free software content management system and she writes about her experience as a contributing author in "Ours to Hack and to Own." The book is known as the handbook for the Platform Cooperativism Movement which was started at the New School in NYC by Trebor Scholz and Nathan Schneider. It is now among the top tech books of 2017 listed by Wired magazine.

As a public speaker Micky brings the Agaric message of cooperative software development to many networks and movements. She speaks at the intersection of  Free Software, Cooperative Tech Development, Personal Digital Security, Worker-owned Cooperatives, Artificial Intelligence, Surveillance and Capitalism, Introduction to Web Technology and changing your work and living environment to include the 7 cooperative principles. She also provides software training for free tools, such as - BigBlueButton, Signal Instant Messenger, NextCloud, Encrypted email, and she can advise on many alternatives to proprietary software.

She was a resident of Weston, CT in the 50's, 60's and 70's, and now lives in Boston, MA with her long-time partner John M. Crisman.

A book with a chapter on one of Micky's bands, The Phantoms, is out and it is called "Hit Girls" by Jen B. Larsen. It is a compendium of female led PUNK bands in the USA in the late 70's and early 80's - Get a copy.

Here is a trailer for a video documentary about Micky's High School days  - It is Rock and Roll History - The High School that ROCKED.

Request an interview, presentation or workshop with Micky

Presentations and Workshops:

*Updated list and references available upon request.  

2021

  • Live interview - Sweden CivicTech Lab - The Two Money Problems

2020

  • Hosted workshop: Surveillance Capitalism, Predictive Analysis and YOU at HOPE 2020  (Hackers on Planet Earth)
  • Live interview on Radio Statler at the HOPE 2020 conference
  • Libreplanet LIVE online 3/14/2020. We hosted a discussion at 4:20 ET on fsf.org - Libreplanet 2020
  • Surveillance Capitalism, Predictive Analysis and YOU - Lecture, Biblioteque, San Miguel de Allende
  • Internet Security - Workshops - Biblioteque, San Miguel de Allende
  • Boston College - presentation on AI and Predictive analysis
  • Colorado.edu online interview on Cooperative development and Agaric values

2019

 

Past:

2018

 

2017

  • Open.coop 2017 - London University, London, UK
    • Panel: Empowering digital collaboration: Introducing the open app ecosystem
    • Workshop: Designing interoperable apps for the open app ecosystem
micky@agaric.com Micky's public key

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Mauricio was interviewed on Talking Drupal to discuss his 31 Days of Migrations tutorial blog series on Drupal Migrations.

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