Dawn Cooper
Dawn Cooper is director of the Early College Initiative for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia Office of P-16 Initiatives. Early College seeks to make higher education more accessible and affordable, with a higher completion rate for traditionally underrepresented students. Before joining Early College, Cooper volunteered with many groups and held various positions with schools and programs in K-16 education aligned with her passion that all students deserve to learn and reach their potential through education. Her most recent position before Early College was assistant director of Education GO Get It. GO was a statewide initiative in Georgia seeking to improve high school graduation and college enrollment through a multimedia public awareness campaign, grassroots community engagement and statewide education, and business and community partnerships.
A native of Orangeburg, SC, Cooper received her bachelor's from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and her master's in education from Emory University. In addition, Cooper conducts workshops through Soma Educational Services for student athletes, underserved students, their parents, and organizations that support them that focus on increasing access to higher education and the importance of using education to maximize career choices.
As a former college basketball player, she is also interested in empowering student athletes to achieve a positive balance in their lives, utilizing their athletic gifts to attain higher levels of education and successful careers. Cooper has also served as former vice president and current member of the Black Child Development Institute and co-chair of its Entering the College Zone Program. She is also a member of the Atlanta Falcons Youth Sports and Education Advisory Committee, S.C.A.L.E.S. Speakers Bureau, board member with Gems and Jewels Family Resource Center, board member for Ivy Preparatory Academy for Girls, member of the Georgia Parent Teacher Association, Georgia Educational Research Association, Carolina Alumni Association, and Emory University Alumni Association.
