Janis Hazel, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, Communications Dir. for Vincent Gray

Vernon Oakes, Host of Everything Co-op, Interviews Janis Hazel, ANC Commissioner and Director of Communications for Washington, D.C. Councilmember, Vincent Gray. Vernon and Janis discuss legislation introduced by Councilmember Gray, and how cooperatives can help to advance his agenda. Janis is serving a third term as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC 7D05) in Ward 7 of Washington, DC. She is the Director of Communications for Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent C. Gray and has served as Director of Communications in the Executive Office of the Mayor. She was appointed by the Obama Administration to manage the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census Decennial operations for the District of Columbia’s 2010 Census and has served as the Director of Development and Communications for Howard University Television (WHUT-TV). A native of Detroit, MI and a political science major at the University of Michigan, she began her career in public policy with Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm (NY), and later worked for Senator Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (MI) and Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (MI). She has served as Director of Marketing for the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and Events Marketing Manager for the Detroit Convention Bureau and was part of the team that won the bid for Detroit to host Super Bowl XL. She has served as Executive Director of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation producing Grammy events featuring Aretha Franklin, Prince, Bonnie Raitt, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton and other iconic artists. Janis can be seen in cameo appearances on the Emmy award winning Netflix series "House of Cards."