Kristi Schweiss

Assistant Director - Quentin Burdick Center for Cooperatives

Faculty

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

Schweiss Headshot

Kristi Schweiss is the Assistant Director of the Quentin Burdick Center for Cooperatives at North Dakota State University. As Assistant Director of the Center, Schweiss works alongside Director, Dr. Frayne Olson, to coordinate and implement the Center’s education, research and outreach activities. She also serves as President for NCERA-210, USDA’s de-facto nation-wide research project on cooperatively owned businesses. Schweiss received her M.S. and B.S. in Agribusiness and Applied Economics from North Dakota State University.

Areas of Study & Research

Kristi Schweiss' research portfolio focuses on issues unique to cooperatives especially in the areas of finance, governance, and strategy. Schweiss focusses her efforts on agriculture and rural electric cooperatives in North Dakota and the Upper Great Plains. To better serve in her role as Assistant Director and aligning with one of the seven guiding principles for cooperatives, Principle #5: Education, Training, and Information, Schweiss is currently pursuing her Ph.D. with an emphasis in Institutional Effectiveness, focusing on the cooperative system.

Courses Taught

AGEC/BUSN 474/674 Cooperatives

Previous Work

North Dakota Farmers Union - Agricultural Economist/Strategist

Awards & Honors

NACTA Graduate Teaching Award of Merit
NDSU Core Values Award

Professional Associations

NDSU QBCC Executive Education Committee
NCERA - 210
NCBA - CLUSA

Publications

Olson, F., Schweiss, K., Gutierrez, K. and DeBalsi, B. 2023. "Cooperatives: Rethinking the Epic Tale of a Radical Venture Form” In Ferreira, J.J. and Murphy, P.J., ed. Bleeding-Edge Entrepreneurship: Digitalization, Blockchains, Space, the Ocean, and Artificial Intelligence. Emerald Publishing Limited, pp. 117-136.

Presentations

Schweiss, K. (2024, October) Uniqueness of Cooperative Business Models. Presentation to UMN Crookson Cooperatives Class. Zoom.

Olson, F. and Schweiss, K. (2024, July) Case Study: Searching for Excellence. Presentation to Cooperative Leadership Training “Board & CEO Succession Planning” Participants. Detroit Lakes, MN.

Schweiss, K. (2023, November) Uniqueness of Cooperative Finance and Taxation. Presentation to NDSCS Cooperatives Class. Wahpeton, ND.

Schweiss, K. (2023, July) Greener Pastures Cooperative Case Study. Presentation to Cooperative Leadership Training “Effective Equity Management” Participants. Detroit Lakes, MN.

Schweiss, K. (2022, June). Cooperative Business Models. Presentation to Rural Leadership North Dakota. Fargo, ND.

Schweiss, K. (2017, November). An Analysis of Financial Risk Measures within Agricultural Cooperatives. Paper presented at NCERA-210 Annual Meeting. Minneapolis, MN.