Donna Cooper

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Donna Cooper
Known forMember of Governor's cabinet

Donna Cooper was Pennsylvania Secretary of Planning and Policy and was a member of the cabinet of Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. [1]

Cooper worked for Good Schools Pennsylvania, an advocacy organization for public schools. [2] She first began working for Ed Rendell as deputy mayor for Policy and Planning during his tenure as Mayor of Philadelphia. [2] [3] When he was elected Governor of Pennsylvania she was appointed Director of the Governor’s Policy Office. [4] In 2004, the office was renamed the Governor’s Office of Policy and Planning and was elevated to a cabinet-level position. [4] [5]

In 2003, the political website PoliticsPA named Cooper one of the 50 most powerful individuals in Pennsylvania politics. [6] She was also called one of the "smartest staffers" in 2004 by the same website. [2] She was also named one of the state's "Most Politically Powerful Women." [7]

In a 2009 article, The Philadelphia Inquirer 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." [3]

In November 2010, Cooper joined the Center for American Progress as a senior policy fellow on their economic policy team. [8]

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References

  1. "Donna Cooper (PA)". Project Vote Smart . Archived from the original on September 29, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 "Pennsylvania's Smartest Staffers and Operatives". PoliticsPA . 2004. Archived from the original on April 5, 2004.
  3. 1 2 Couloumbis, Angela (July 19, 2009). "Rendell's 'pit bull at the front door'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "GOVERNOR RENDELL NAMES COOPER SECRETARY OF POLICY AND PLANNING" (Press release). Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. October 2004.
  5. "Donna Cooper (PA)". Vote Smart . Archived from the original on September 29, 2010.
  6. "Power 50, 2003". PoliticsPA . PoliticsPA. 2003. Archived from the original on April 17, 2004.
  7. "Pennsylvania's Most Politically Powerful Women". PoliticsPA . 2004. Archived from the original on February 9, 2004.
  8. "Cooper Joins CAP as a Senior Policy Fellow".