Donna Cooper was Pennsylvania Secretary of Planning and Policy and was a member of the cabinet of

Pennsylvania Governor The governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the head of state and head of government of the U.S. state, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as commander-in-chief of the Commonwealth's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforc ...

Ed Rendell Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American lawyer, prosecutor, politician, and author. He served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011, as chair of the national Democratic Party, and as the 96th Mayor of Philade ...

. Cooper worked for Good Schools Pennsylvania, an advocacy organization for public schools. She first began working for

as deputy mayor for Policy and Planning during his tenure as

Mayor of Philadelphia The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Jim Kenney. History The first mayor of Philadelphia, ...

. When he was elected

Governor of Pennsylvania A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

she was appointed Director of the Governor’s Policy Office. In 2004, the office was renamed the Governor’s Office of Policy and Planning and was elevated to a cabinet-level position. In 2003, the political website

PoliticsPA PoliticsPA.com is a website centered on the politics of Pennsylvania. Content The website reports on political and campaign news in Pennsylvania, from the state legislature up to federal races. The editors write occasional features, like the we ...

named Cooper one of the 50 most powerful individuals in Pennsylvania politics. She was also called one of the "smartest staffers" in 2004 by the same website. She was also named one of the state's "Most Politically Powerful Women." In a 2009 article, ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'' said that Cooper was one of the "chief architects of state policy and a key player behind the crafting of a state budget" and that "she wields tremendous power and is a natural lightning rod for criticism." In November 2010, Cooper joined the

Center for American Progress The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a public policy research and advocacy organization which presents a liberal viewpoint on economic and social issues. It has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The president and chief executive officer ...

as a senior policy fellow on their economic policy team.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Donna Living people State cabinet secretaries of Pennsylvania Politicians from Philadelphia Pennsylvania Democrats Political activists from Pennsylvania Political staffers Fels Institute of Government alumni Center for American Progress people Year of birth missing (living people)