Inducted:2014
For over 33 years, Barry Silver has worked at the National Cooperative Bank serving in various capacities and leadership positions. He began his career as a Peace Corps volunteer before serving in the U.S. army. After he was honorably discharged from the Army, he attended American University where he received a Master's Degree in Business. In 1980, Silver began working for the National Cooperative Bank and is currently the longest tenured employee. He has helped thousands of cooperatives obtain financing to be successful and was a major force in creating the Purchasing Co-op Conference, leading him to be honored with the NCBA Honored Cooperator Award in 2005. It was Silver's passion for education of the cooperative model that let to NCB's Co-op 100 list a list which sparked the International Cooperative Alliance's Global 300 report. Over the years, he has served in numerous volunteer positions and has expanded his work internationally. From 2005-2009, Silver worked on a multi-billion dollar project for the World Bank in China working to create new co-ops by educating leaders about cooperatives in the agricultural sector. Silver's work has continued across many cooperative sectors and organizations.