Jackson Cooper, MFA

Jackson Cooper CV (PDF)

Biography

Recognized as a leader in community development, strategic partnerships and social impact, Jackson Cooper is currently the Major Gifts Manager for Pacific Northwest Ballet and serves as Adjunct Faculty for Seattle University's Arts Leadership program and UNC-Greensboro's Arts Administration. He has led organizations through pivotal times, launched new programs and initiatives, and built strategic partnerships to advance the arts/culture in these times. Southern Theatre magazine named him one of six rising leaders paving the way for "The Future of Arts Fundraising" in Fall 2022. Cooper is a DC-born, North Carolina-raised leader. He began working arts fundraising shops at the age of 14 and shortly thereafter began his studies in orchestra and musical theatre conducting as well as his theatre studies as a stage director. He created a degree in Arts Administration from UNC-Greensboro and holds an MFA, Arts Leadership from Seattle University. Over the years, Cooper has held senior leadership roles in the nonprofit, government and philanthropic sectors. His leadership roles include at the NC Museum of Art, North Carolina Theatre, PlayMakers Repertory Company, and the Town of Cary among others, has twice been a grant panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, and presented at conferences such as Theatre Communications Group, Association for Arts Administration Educators, Inspire Washington's Cultural Congress, and others. In 2022, he was appointed by the Seattle City Council to serve on the LGBTQ Commission and serves on the board of the Seattle Choruses and Theatre Communication Group's NextGen TaskForce. He is authoring the book GIVING, PHILANTHROPY, AND THE PRACTICE OF GRATITUDE, due out by Routledge in 2024 and a chapter for Financial Management in Museums, also to be published in 2024.