Rooted in Resilience

Frank Cetera is a student of systems thinking, Permaculture design, and cooperative economics.  Frank received his Master’s Degree in Sustainable Systems Science from Slippery Rock University of PA, where he was Resident Steward of the 83-acre Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems and the Harmony Homestead.  Moving to Syracuse, NY in the early aughts, Frank received his Masters of Forestry Degree from SUNY-ESF and his Permaculture Design Certificate from the Hancock Permaculture Center, while embarking on a journey melding local urban land stewardship, forest garden food production, and intentional community through founding the Alchemical Nursery Project and The Bitternut Urban Homestead Collective.  Frank also sits on the Board of Cooperative Federal Credit Union (where he was Chair for 10 years), the only federally designated Community Development Financial Institution serving the banking needs of the under-resourced in Syracuse, Onondaga County, and surrounding counties.

Frank’s professional history includes 15 years as a service provider for businesses and entrepreneurs through the Onondaga NY Small Business Development Center (SBDC), leading the Workers to Owners Collaborative as a Worker-Member of the DAWI self-directed not-for-profit staff collective, stints with the SUNY Research Association supporting academic field studies in forest health, and Watershed Programs Coordinator with POWR – the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers.

At Lionhearted, we believe that true presence and practice —whether in a cooperative enterprise or a thriving garden—requires both structural integrity and organic adaptability.

Our philosophy bridges the gap between the coordinated precision of project management and the nurturing patience of community building. We see every organization as a living ecosystem, where strategic governance acts as the trellis supporting the wild and vibrant activity of collective ambition. From the boardroom to the soil, we cultivate systems that are not just efficient, but regenerative. We empower cooperatives and communities to stand tall with courage, grounded deeply in the values of shared prosperity and sustainable systems.