Former VP of Government Affairs for the Turner Broadcasting Systems in Atlanta, GA

Austin R. Cooper, Jr.

Austin R. Cooper, Jr. is the President of Cooper Strategic Affairs, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm that provides strategic legislative, political, and communications advisory services to governmental bodies, nonprofit institutions, and private-sector organizations.

Biography

Mr. Cooper brings a distinguished career in government affairs, public policy, and strategic communications, having held senior-level positions at the federal, state, and municipal levels. His extensive public service record includes working for four prominent Members of Congress: Congressman Charles Rangel, Congressman William H. Gray III, Congressman Louis Stokes, and Senator Edward M. Kennedy. In the private sector, he has led public affairs efforts at top-tier global communications firms, including Hill and Knowlton Strategies and Edelman Worldwide.

He also served as a State Lobbyist on issues relating to pensions, education, and labor for former New York City Mayor David N. Dinkins, and as Vice President of Government Affairs at Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Additionally, Mr. Cooper has provided strategic communications and policy guidance to the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation.

Prior to founding Cooper Strategic Affairs, Inc., he served as Vice President of Government Affairs and Communications at GoodWorks International, LLC, where he was the primary media representative for former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young. In this role, he also represented the governments of Nigeria, Rwanda, Benin, and Tanzania in Washington, D.C., on matters of diplomacy and economic development.

Mr. Cooper holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in History and Government from Saint Augustine’s University and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. He is a proud member of the Mu Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. in Washington, D.C., and serves on the Board of Directors of the William O. Lockridge Community Foundation (WOLCF).

In addition to his consulting work, Mr. Cooper contributes to public discourse as a monthly political columnist for The Washington Informer and serves as Managing Editor of the publication’s Our House D.C. newsletter, which focuses on the state and future of Black homeownership in Wards 7 and 8 of Washington, D.C.