MORE ABOUT ME

I'm Stephanie Cooper, LMSW, and for the past 26 years I've led nonprofit organizations from the CEO's chair — which means when we talk about your challenges, I'm not guessing. I've lived them.

​

I spent 15 years as CEO of Independent Living Resource Center, guiding a nonprofit through the realities of disability related services, community advocacy, in-home services and public funding. Since 2015, I've served as CEO of Douglass Community Services, a multi-program human services organization where I oversee everything from Head Start programs, workforce development programming, court-affiliated child advocacy programs (CASA), food security initiatives, senior volunteer programming (Americorps), and a social enterprise thrift store — while also navigating my own planned leadership transition this December.

​

That range matters. Whether your organization is a small, founder-led nonprofit finding its footing, a multi-program agency juggling competing funder demands, or a board trying to move from passive oversight to strategic partnership, I've likely faced a version of it myself — from the inside.

​

Beyond my own executive roles, I've spent my career investing in other nonprofit leaders: as a BoardSource Certified Nonprofit Governance Consultant, a Head Start Fellow through UCLA's Anderson School of Management, a UCLA Mentor for the Office of Head Start, and a coach through the Nonprofit Excellence Initiative and LEAD Program. I hold a bachelor's and master's degree in social work from the University of Missouri–Columbia, along with certifications in volunteer management (St. Louis University) and coaching (Washington University).

​

I also stay closely connected to the community I serve — currently as President of the Hannibal Chamber of Commerce, Special Events co-chair of Griffiths Women's Leadership Society at Mizzou, Coordinator of Toys for Tots of NE Missouri, the American Legion Auxiliary and through past leadership roles with the Missouri Statewide Independent Living Council, Empower Missouri, and the University of Missouri Extension Council.

​

I started Cooper Consulting Services because I know firsthand how isolating leadership can be and how much stronger organizations become when their leaders and boards have the right support. If you're navigating a leadership transition, building board capacity, or planning for what's next, let's talk. Click the link above to schedule a time to connect. 

​