Join hosts Michelle and Nora the first Monday of each month to hear from another Austin area non-profit organization and the various ways they benefit the many communities that live together here in Central Texas. Discussions center around these organizations’ missions, invaluable work they do as well as the programs and services they provide in the areas of arts & culture, education, health, the environment, social justice, womxn, LGBTQAI+, and neighborhood stability. To find more information about the awesome organizations that have partnered with KOOP and/or the benefits your organization can gain by joining KOOP’s Community Partner Program, please visit this PAGE.
Join hosts Derek and Nora the fourth Thursday of each month to hear from another Austin area non-profit organization and the various ways they benefit the many communities that live together here in Central Texas. Discussions center around these organizations’ missions, invaluable work they do as well as the programs and services they provide in the areas of arts & culture, education, health, the environment, social justice, womxn, LGBTQAI+, and neighborhood stability. To find more information about the awesome organizations that have partnered with KOOP and/or the benefits your organization can gain by joining KOOP’s Community Partner Program, please visit https://koop.org/community-organization-membership-program/ KOOP Community Partners Chat is part of the Austin KOOPerative Hour collective.
Nora began her journey into the unfamiliar world of broadcasting arts by volunteering for KOOP Radio in 2021 and shortly thereafter joining the KOOP Community Council, the advisory and outreach arm of KOOP Radio. A large part of her activities on the Community Council have been interacting with, and promoting the nonprofit organizations in the Greater Austin area who are partners with KOOP Radio. This role has afforded her the opportunity to learn about and even engage in the amazing work being done to assure the creativity, health, safety, and education of our community, especially the underrepresented. Nora believes that the KOOP Community Partners Chat show will inspire KOOP listeners to share her pride in our community.
Derek joined the KOOP Community Council in November 2025, driven by a deep-seated belief that community is something we must actively create rather than passively receive. Having experienced a profound transition in his own life from a highly structured, “given” community in his youth to building a “chosen” one in Austin, Derek is passionate about providing people with the infrastructure they need to connect. He rejects the “lone hero” model of leadership, operating instead as a “First Follower” who empowers grassroots visionaries on the ground. Outside of KOOP, he manifests this collaborative vision by incubating local leaders as the founder of Keep Austin Neighborly, and through his environmental work at Oppenheimer Bio Tech. At KOOP, Derek views the station as a collaborative workshop focused on “us” rather than “self,” serving as a vital space where he can help weave a stronger, more inclusive social safety net for all of Austin.
Let’s Talk About It
KOOP Community Partners Chat is part of the Austin KOOPerative Hour collective and airs every 4th Thursday of the month in this time slot.
