A Time To “Lead Courageously”
Barbara Cooper MA ’95, PhD ’09 strongly believes that being an educator is a calling, not just a job. The dramatic events of 2020 have only confirmed her conviction.
“You have to be called to do this work well because you really are impacting children who come from all walks of life,” said Cooper. “And unless you have a passion and a servant attitude and a servant leadership style, it’s going to be challenging to do this work, now more so than ever.”
Cooper was appointed Secretary of Early Childhood Education by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey in July 2020. She earned both her PhD in education leadership and innovation and a master’s degree in administration, supervision, and curriculum development (magna cum laude) at CU Denver.