Andrea Cooper
Board Member

Pronouns: she, her

Andrea, whom her friends and colleagues call "Coop," brings two decades of experience leading at the intersection of politics, government and organizational management. Coop has held several leadership roles across Oregon’s public sector, where she built and managed teams and coalitions to help find solutions to some of the state's biggest challenges.

Most recently, she served as Chief of Staff to Governor Tina Kotek and Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Kate Brown. In these roles, Coop was the governor’s top advisor and strategist, leading  policy development, legislative affairs and executive operations.

Prior to working in the governor’s office, Coop served as the Government Relations Director for the Oregon Education Association and the Political Director at SEIU Local 503. During her tenure, she was instrumental in leading coalitions that successfully passed the nation's strongest paid family leave law, raised billions for school funding and secured millions in additional funding for child welfare services. During the 2016 and 2017 legislative sessions, Andrea served as the Chief of Staff to House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson. In this role, she helped the Oregon House Democrats pass innovative economic and social reforms that elevated Oregon's profile as one of the nation's strongest progressive leaders.

Electorally, Coop served as the Campaign Manager for Governor Kate Brown's winning re-election campaign, leading the Governor to a nearly 120,000-vote victory over her opponents despite being outspent. Coop also served as the Co-Executive Director for Emerge Oregon, which saw an 83% win rate for program alumnae who ran for office in the general election. During the 2016 election, Coop served as the Oregon State Director for the Hillary Clinton Campaign and the Coordinated Campaign Director for the Democratic Party of Oregon, where she managed over 25 staff working to elect Democrats up and down the ticket. In the 2014 election cycle, Coop was the Executive Director of Future PAC, the campaign arm for the Oregon House Democrats. Despite the challenging 'red wave' year, Coop led House Democrats to victory, making Oregon the only state in the country to expand its Democratic majority.

With a vision to fill a critical need within the progressive ecosystem and a steadfast dedication to helping leaders thrive, Coop pursued her certification as an Executive Coach through the Center for Executive Coaching, an International Coaching Federation-accredited program. Her coaching practice is driven by the belief that resilient leaders are the catalysts for transformative change, and  impactful leadership development happens through a commitment to personal growth.  Her coaching work is a part of A.L.A Strategies, LLC, a women and majority BIPOC-owned consulting firm working with clients in advocacy, government and movement-building. Coop co-founded the firm in 2024 alongside two long-time co-conspirators, An Do and Lindsey O’Brien.

In her volunteer life, Coop has served as Board Chair for Bradley Angle, a domestic violence agency that empowers survivors of domestic abuse. She also served on the boards of Emerge Oregon and the Alliance for Youth, a national organization working to strengthen local youth organizing and power. 

Coop grew up in Oregon and California and is a lifelong fan of the Portland Trail Blazers. She received her B.A. from the University of Portland with a major in political science.  If there is one thing to know about her, it's that she is completely obsessed with her dog, Scout.