Rebecca Lurie is the founder of The Community and Worker Ownership Project at the CUNY School for Labor and Urban Studies (SLU) and its Murphy Institute. She is also on the adjunct faculty of SLU. She is a founding member of the worker-owned cooperative, New Deal Home Improvement Company. Lurie began her working career as a union carpenter, transitioning to worker education through the union’s apprenticeship program and the construction industry. Using a sectoral approach for understanding industries and their employment needs, and dedicated to inclusiveness, Lurie has collaborated on numerous community economic development projects in NYC, including pre-apprenticeship programs, a Bronx green jobs network, a kitchen incubator, and the design of Best for NYC. She serves on the Boards of the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative and the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture. She holds a Master’s in Organizational Change Management from The New School, a certificate in Adult Occupational Education from CUNY, and is certified in Permaculture Urban Design.