Rebecca Savoie is a creative and adaptable leader, trainer, and innovator with decades of experience strengthening cooperative agribusinesses and enterprises. For over 25 years, she has worked with both non-profit and for-profit organizations in international development, supporting small and mid-sized enterprises in dozens of countries—primarily in Africa, with additional work in Asia, Latin America, and the United States. Her efforts have centered on enhancing market systems and supply chains, connecting cooperatives to markets, and advancing legal and policy reforms to foster a more supportive business environment for cooperatives.
She earned her PhD in Rural Sociology from the University of Missouri, an MBA in Finance and Organizations and a BS in Soil Science and Natural Resource Management from the University of Minnesota, and an MA in International Policy from the Middlebury Institute at Monterey. The cooperative business model has been a consistent theme throughout her academic and professional pursuits, and she strives to integrate systems thinking, human-centered design, and community development principles into real-world applications. She also serves as the board chair for the Keystone Development Center, a regional cooperative development hub. Rebecca resides in Saint Paul, Minnesota.