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Richard B. "Rich" Cooper is a Principal with Olive, Edwards & Cooper, LLC, a successful public affairs,
communications and strategic planning practice in Washington, DC. In this role, Mr. Cooper is working to expand the firm's portfolio further into the homeland security field contributing to critical areas of
strategic planning and partnerships; emergency preparedness planning and response; business continuity leadership and stakeholder development; and science and technology development and deployment.
Prior to
joining Olive, Edwards & Cooper, Mr. Cooper served three years as Business Liaison Director for the US Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Private Sector Office (PSO) where he built relationships and
networks with private sector companies and organizations to ensure that open channels of communication and engagement were created to aid critical areas and programs. Mr. Cooper also served as the PSO's primary
interface with the Science & Technology and Preparedness Directorates as well as offering guidance and leadership to its Congressional relations, public affairs, communications and strategic planning efforts.
During his time at DHS, Mr. Cooper also took an active leadership role in the formation of Department policies, strategies, communications and programs for private sector preparedness and business
continuity/recovery working closely with Hurricane Katrina & Rita Relief efforts, the 9/11 Commission, the Ready – Business campaigns and other organizations and efforts committed to ensuring the security
and viability of the private sector. He has also led Department efforts to establish a formal relationship with NASA to share research and testing in key homeland security areas; with the US Department of Labor to
forge the next generation of homeland security workforce; and a comprehensive study investigating a venture capital approach to enhance the development, deployment and transfer of homeland security technologies. Mr.
Cooper also contributed substantially to the formation of a number of security event-driven and regional public-private partnerships around the US.
Before joining DHS, Mr. Cooper served as a Senior Policy
Analyst at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. working as the Special Assistant to the NASA Administrator and Chief of Staff/White House Liaison. His other positions included his assignment as the Program
Architect for NASA's Educator Astronaut Program responsible for the design, operation and implementation of the first new position in the astronaut corps in more than 25 years; and strategic communications and
editorial response for the Shuttle Columbia accident where his works were published/presented in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Orleans Times Picayune, NASA Television and
others.
Mr. Cooper previously served as the President of Global Initiatives, Inc. (GII), a Virginia based small business that provided consulting and management services to both the private and public
sectors in the high tech and aerospace communities. He possesses a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Religion from Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington) in Fredericksburg, VA and is
currently working towards a Masters in Public and International Affairs (National Security) at Virginia Tech. He also holds a Certificate from Harvard University's School of Public Health and Kennedy School of
Government, National Preparedness Leadership Initiative.
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