WHEREAS, From a young age, Donna Cooper was an advocate. She first stepped into activism in the fourth grade, organizing a sit-in to protest a school policy prohibiting girls from wearing pants, an action that resulted in an immediate policy change and inspired a career dedicated to public service and policy reform on behalf of children and families; and
WHEREAS, From 1999 to 2002, Ms. Cooper served the City of Philadelphia as Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning under Mayor Ed Rendell, where she ran the Greater Philadelphia Works Program, one of the largest welfare-to-work initiatives in the nation, helping thousands of families move toward economic self-sufficiency; and
WHEREAS,
In the early 2000s, she founded and served as Executive Director of Good Schools Pennsylvania, a grassroots campaign that successfully elevated public education funding and accountability as a central issue in statewide elections; and
WHEREAS,
From 2003 to 2010, Donna Cooper served as Secretary of Policy and Planning for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a cabinet-level position in which she led major initiatives including expanding health care coverage for children, advancing equitable school-funding reforms, and helping to design Pennsylvania’s landmark school funding formula; and
WHEREAS, Following her state service, Ms. Cooper worked as a Senior Policy Fellow at the Center for American Progress, contributing to national policy work focused on economic opportunity and early childhood education
; and
WHEREAS, In January 2013, she was appointed Executive Director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, later renamed Children First PA, marking the role that would become the capstone of her career; and
WHEREAS, After over thirteen years at the helm of Children First PA, Ms. Cooper grew the organization’s budget sevenfold to approximately $7 million, expanded its reach and influence, and solidified its role as one of Pennsylvania’s leading child advocacy organizations; and
WHEREAS, Under her leadership, Children First PA spearheaded transformative policy victories such as lead-safety protections, expanding early childhood education subsidies, and Philadelphia’s landmark beverage tax, which funds free pre-kindergarten, schools, and recreation centers; and
WHEREAS, In addition to her advocacy and public service, Ms. Cooper has served as a professor at Temple University in their Master of Public Policy program, educating and mentoring future leaders in nonprofit management; and
WHEREAS, In 2025, Donna Cooper announced her retirement from Children First PA, concluding a career marked by an unwavering commitment to placing children at the center of public decision-making; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, H
ereby honors and congratulates Donna Cooper on her retirement, recognizing her extraordinary career of leadership, advocacy, and service on behalf of children and families.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this Resolution be presented to Donna Cooper as a symbol of the City Council’s appreciation.
End