Cooper Coleman Names Chief Operating Officer

April 22, 2022 – Chicago-based Cooper Coleman LLC has appointed Tony Paskauskas, a veteran non-profit operations executive, as its chief operating officer, a new role at the firm. He will be responsible for scaling Cooper Coleman’s business operations and finance capabilities and extending its executive search and consulting capacities.

“We’ve recruited one of the most talented and exceptional operations leaders in the sector,” said Johnny Cooper, the firm’s founder and principal. “Tony’s commitment to social impact now extends far beyond the one mission he’s represented for many years, and his drive to transform our firm into a best-in-class operation positions Cooper Coleman competitively as we deliver our client organizations the most comprehensive, expectation-shattering search partnerships the social sector has never seen.”

Mr. Paskauskas will lead the full scope of Cooper Coleman’s operations including finance, risk management, people, and customer success initiatives while freeing up the time and capacity of its founders to focus on setting superior standards for service delivery, new business development, and revenue growth.

“The depth and breadth of Tony’s expertise in logistics, operations, and constituent services underpin his preparedness to enter the start-up world and lead Cooper Coleman to new heights,” said Bill Coleman, the firm’s co-founder.

Strong Experience

Cooper Coleman’s new COO most recently led the operations, logistics, customer service, and donor stewardship functions behind Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), a $305 million international philanthropic foundation. Overseeing the transformation of the foundation’s operations, he instituted rigorous efficiency measures, and supervised all supportive functions of a five-year, $300 million comprehensive campaign. Mr. Paskauskas’ customer service and donation processing teams facilitated nearly 500,000 donation transactions over the campaign, servicing more than 100,000 individual donors across six continents and in 13 official languages each year.

Mr. Paskauskas established various operations overseas to build out the global supply chain, distribution, and fulfillment of a world-class donor recognition program. He managed dozens of professionals in the U.S., India, Japan, and Korea and volunteer leaders in more than 205 countries, while generating more revenue annually than any other producer, managing the program that accounts for as much as 90 percent of LCIF’s revenue.

“Cooper Coleman’s values of honesty, integrity, and transparency are primary drivers in making this transition,” said Mr. Paskauskas. “Learning of the firm’s promise of respect and dignity for clients and candidates in the search process makes it all the more appealing. This approach to executive search is changing the game for organizations in need of transformative leadership throughout the social sector.”

“I am excited to continue my work in this sector in a new capacity and privileged to join the highly skilled, dynamic team Johnny and Bill are assembling,” he added. “The lasting change we are precipitating will amplify missions and impact immeasurably. I am grateful to be a part of the early stages of growth and look forward to scaling this firm beyond its aspirations.”

Driving Growth

Founded in 2020, Cooper Coleman LLC is a full-service executive search and consulting firm partnering exclusively with non-profit organizations, foundations, and research and academic institutions to drive meaningful growth. Its team moves organizations forward by placing “the right leaders in the right roles at the right time” and helps to strengthen their management and fundraising capacity to amplify their mission and impact.

In an interview with Hunt Scanlon Media last year, Mr. Cooper spoke about the pandemic and its effect on the executive search industry. “The current climate is resulting in one of the most active periods we have seen for non-profit search in recent years,” he said. “We expect an increasing number of changes—structurally, financially, and with personnel—across organizations and a substantial increase in search requirements, particularly related to inclusion and diversity.”

He added: “We anticipate an increasingly strong demand for experienced leaders who can guide organizations through these and other emerging challenges, particularly the mandate for innovation and continued adaptability of the work environment as well as the need for board and staff leadership to reflect the diversity of communities they serve.”

Related: Cooper Coleman Recruits CEO for Interact for Health

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media

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