Cooper Coleman LLC

About Us

Cooper Coleman is a full-service recruiting and consulting firm partnering exclusively with nonprofit organizations, foundations, and research and academic institutions to drive meaningful growth. We move organizations forward by placing the right leaders in the right roles at the right time, and we help to strengthen management and fundraising capacity to amplify their mission and impact.

We work with organizations of all sizes locally, nationally, and globally. Our practical, actionable, strategic approach helps our partner organizations achieve durable solutions and sustainable growth.

We represent our partners as if we are a member of their team—with passion, integrity, and a deep understanding of their challenges and opportunities. We intuitively know what makes the work they do unique and essential.

We are an LGBTQ+ owned business that embraces demographic, experiential, sexual, and cultural inclusion. We believe everyone is better when leadership reflects the diversity of its people and when an organization reflects the diversity of those it serves.

Cooper Coleman LLC

Our Team

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The Team Moving You Forward!
An ever-growing cadre of incredibly talented professionals extends the capacity and capabilities of our team. They include recruiters and organizational development experts, frontline fundraisers, planned giving experts, communicators, marketers, designers—each of whom has been hand-selected from our previous work experience and meets our rigorous expectations for performance, expertise, and continued professional development. Meet a few of them below.

Cooper Coleman LLC

Solutions And Expertise

We take extraordinary measures to preserve dignity in the recruiting experience. Recognizing there is a person behind each resume, we treat each candidate with humanity, clarity, and respect—as the assets they are to our sector, the third-largest driver of the U.S. economy.

The right leaders in the right roles are essential for success. The most successful organizations do not settle on their leaders, they strategically and meaningfully choose each one.

Recruiting the best candidates can be protracted and time-consuming. For that reason, we do the heavy lifting to find your ideal candidate, so you can focus on other priorities. We help organizations assess their unique needs to build a comprehensive profile of the professionals they require. We leverage our extensive network of passive and active candidates throughout the sector to place the right leaders in the roles most essential to your success.

Solutions
  • Advisory Services
  • Culture Shaping
  • Executive Coaching
  • Executive Search
  • Interim
  • Leadership Consulting
  • Leadership Develop.
  • Mgmt. Consulting
  • Org. Chart Mapping
  • Succession Planning
Industries
  • Associations
  • Colleges/Universities
  • Cultural Arts
  • Education
  • Foundations
  • K-12
  • Non-Profit
Functions
  • Board/Governance
  • Business Development
  • CEO/President
  • Development
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • General Management
  • GM/Operations
  • Human Resources
  • Marketing & Sales

Cooper Coleman LLC

News Briefings

Cooper Coleman Seeking Executive Director for Friends of International Friendship Park

Cooper Coleman LLC was recently retained by Friends of International Friendship Park (FOIFP) to lead in its search for a new executive director. The national search is being led by J. Michael Durnil, director of executive search at Cooper Coleman. The organization seeks a strategic, culturally fluent, and politically savvy executive director to lead the organization into

Cooper Coleman Assists CAMP Rehoboth with Executive Director Search

Following a national search, Chicago-based Cooper Coleman LLC has helped to recruit Robin Brennan as executive director of CAMP Rehoboth. This follows the planned retirement of its previously placed executive director. “CAMP Rehoboth has long served as a trusted and welcoming presence for its community, offering both connection and advocacy in meaningful ways,” said Johnny Cooper,

Cooper Coleman Recruits Executive Director for San Diego Pride

Chicago-based Cooper Coleman LLC has assisted in the recruitment of KishaLynn Elliott as executive director of San Diego Pride. She becomes the first Black lesbian to serve as permanent executive director in the organization’s more than 50-year history. The national search was led by J. Michael Durnil, director of executive search at Cooper Coleman, in close partnership with

Cooper Coleman Recruits CFO for East Coast Zoological Foundation

Chicago-based Cooper Coleman LLC has recruited David Lamadrid as the new CFO of East Coast Zoological Foundation (ECZF), home of the Brevard Zoo and the upcoming Bowen Aquarium. This follows a national search led by Johnny Cooper, founder and CEO of Cooper Coleman. “David is a thoughtful, values-driven leader who understands how to build strong financial systems

Cooper Coleman LLC

Press Releases

Cooper Coleman Announces Placement of Dion Wade as Chief Financial Officer at Center for Child Protection

April 27, 2026 | Chicago, IL CHICAGO, IL – Cooper Coleman LLC is pleased to announce the successful placement of William “Dion” Wade as Chief Financial Officer of the Center for Child Protection (CCP) in Austin, Texas. The national search was led by Johnny Cooper, Founder + CEO of Cooper Coleman. The Center for Child

Cooper Coleman Announces Appointment of Vanessa Maldonado as Chief Development Officer at Center for Child Protection

CHICAGO, IL – Cooper Coleman LLC announces the appointment of Vanessa Maldonado as Chief Development Officer of the Center for Child Protection (CCP), following the completion of a national executive search led by Founder + CEO Johnny Cooper. Maldonado joins the Austin-based organization as CCP continues to expand its services and engagement across Travis County.

Cooper Coleman Announces Placement of Kishalynn Elliott as Executive Director at San Diego Pride

CHICAGO, IL – Cooper Coleman LLC announced today the placement of KishaLynn Elliott as Executive Director of San Diego Pride, marking a significant leadership moment for one of the nation’s most visible and influential LGBTQIA+ civic institutions. Elliott becomes the first Black lesbian to serve as permanent Executive Director in the organization’s more than 50-year

Cooper Coleman to Lead Cheif Financial Officer Search, Extending Engagement with Austin’s Center for Child Protection

CHICAGO, IL – Cooper Coleman LLC has been retained for an additional engagement with the Center for Child Protection (CCP) in Austin, Texas, to lead the search for the organization’s next Chief Financial Officer (CFO). This engagement builds on Cooper Coleman’s ongoing partnership with the Center as it continues to strengthen its executive leadership team

Cooper Coleman Completes National Search for Fund for a Safer Future; Board Appoints Rob Wilcox as President + CEO

CHICAGO, IL – Cooper Coleman LLC today announced the successful completion of a national search for the inaugural President + Chief Executive Officer of Fund for a Safer Future (FSF). The search concluded with the FSF Board’s appointment of Rob Wilcox, a leader in gun violence prevention policy and philanthropy. Led by Johnny Cooper, Founder

Cooper Coleman LLC

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