Molly Hemstreet is founder and general manager of Opportunity Threads, the largest US-based, worker-owned cut-and-sew facility. In 2015, she co-founded The Industrial Commons, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching democratic workplace principles and worker-ownership. In 2013, she co-founded the Carolina Textile District, a network of textile mills that works together to respond to demand for sustainably produced US goods and builds a platform for worker participation. Prior to starting Opportunity Threads in 2008, Hemstreet worked for the Center for Participatory Change, organizing economic development initiatives across rural western North Carolina in response to the need for fair livelihoods. She has also taught in the North Carolina public school system.