About

Dr. Tracy Cooper received her Ph.D. from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She joined the Department of Political Science and Public Administration in 2015. Her current areas of teaching include public administration, nonprofit leadership and management, emergency management, and American government at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Other areas of teaching include community engagement and public participation as well as organizational behavior. 

Dr. Cooper's primary research interests are leadership issues within the public and nonprofit sectors, disaster management, and collaborative governance. Her published work and presentations at national and international conferences address questions about leadership and inter-organizational relationships within cross-sector networks.  Additionally, she conducts workshops and training on board development, coalition building, strategic planning, and community outreach strategies.