Austin R. Cooper, Jr.
Austin R. Cooper, Jr.
DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
As President of Cooper Strategic Affairs, Inc., Austin provides governmental and communications counsel to government and non-government clients. He has an extensive legislative, political, and communications background, including holding senior-level positions at the federal, state, and local levels of government.
His employment history includes working for four Members of Congress: Congressman Charles Rangel, Congressman William H. Gray III, Congressman Louis Stokes, and Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Austin has also worked on public affairs accounts for Hill and Knowlton Public Relations and Edelman Worldwide. He also managed the governmental agenda for the Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., (TBS), including CNN and served as a State Lobbyist for New York City Mayor David N. Dinkins.
Prior to establishing Cooper Strategic Affairs, Austin served as the Vice President of Government Affairs and Communications for GoodWorks International, LLC. There, he served as the media spokesperson for former United Nations Ambassador Andrew J. Young and the firm and was a registered lobbyist for the Governments of Nigeria, Rwanda, Benin, and Tanzania.
Austin graduated from Saint Augustine’s University with a B.A. in History & Government in May 1983, and has previously served on the Board of Trustees. He also completed the requirements for a Master’s in Public Affairs (MPA) in International Relations from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) in December 1986.
Austin is a member of the Mu Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and serves on the Board of Directors of the William O. Lockridge Community Foundation (WOLCF). He is also the Managing Editor of the “Our House D.C. Newsletter” of The Washington Informer and is a frequent political commentator on the daily podcast, Let It Be Known, of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and Black Press USA. Austin also writes for Black Narrative Matters.
