Authors

Leanne Ussher

Leanne is an independent economist specializing in the design of local currencies and accounting systems that support place-based, regenerative economies. She holds a PhD in Economics from the New School for Social Research, known for its heterodox approach. Her publications span agent-based modeling, monetary design, token economics, and the history of economic thought. Leanne spent two decades teaching and critiquing mainstream economics—connecting theory to praxis—at universities including Queens College CUNY, UMass Boston, and Bard College. Prior to academia she worked as Securities Analyst at the Reserve Bank of Australia. Since leaving academia, she transitioned to hands-on community practice, collaborating with a wide range of corporate, NGO and grassroots initiatives including Consensys, French Development Agency (AFD), Wolfram Blockchain Labs, Valueflows, Grassroots Economics, ThriveOn!, Hudson Valley Current, and the Economic Space Agency.

Leo Gaggl

Leo Gaggl is an agricultural engineer and systems architect dedicated to the stewardship of the digital and physical commons. With over thirty years of experience building digital infrastructure, his work now focuses on creating resilient, independent systems that serve the land and the community, rather than the cloud. His approach is defined by the “Full Circle Connection” — a cycle that connects soil sensors to schnaps glasses. It is a loop of sensing the land, growing food, fermenting abundance, and distilling to essence. This philosophy bridges the gap between high-tech digital sovereignty and the grounded reality of regenerative agriculture.