Dr. Connie Cooper Dr. Connie S. Cooper, whose career in education and social work has spanned almost 30 years in Savannah, has been named to a new City position dedicated to developing and implementing a plan to increase volunteerism and target volunteers to address Savannah’s greatest needs.

The Senior Service Officer position is funded by a $200,000 Cities of Service Leadership Grant awarded to the City of Savannah by the Rockefeller Foundation in January. Dr. Cooper will work in the City of Savannah’s Bureau of Public Development.

A bipartisan coalition of the mayors of large and small cities across the country is working together to engage citizens to address the great challenges of our time by finding new and innovative ways to harness the power of volunteerism. All coalition members have signed a “Declaration of Service,” committing to work together to lead a multi-year effort to expand community service and volunteerism by: · Developing a comprehensive service plan and a coordinated strategy focused on matching volunteers and established community partners to the areas of greatest local need;

· Working with other mayors and elected officials to advance strategies and best practices that accelerate the service movement and produce measurable results; · Encouraging other mayors to join this national effort to engage our citizens; and

· Ensuring that the voice of cities is heard in federal legislative, policy and program discussions related to service, which will help the country achieve the ambitious goals of the Serve America Act.

Dr. Cooper most recently served as Interim Director of the Savannah-Chatham Youth Futures Authority. Prior to that, she worked at the Westside Urban Health Center; served for 10 years as director at the Savannah- Chatham County Public School System’s Teen Age Parenthood Program (TAPP); served as Administrator of the school system’s alternative programs; and served as Principal of the Chatham Community School, which provides alternative education for youth re-entering the community from juvenile detention centers.

Dr. Cooper is a native of Jacksonville, Fla. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in social sciences from Benedict College, in Columbia, S.C.; a master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.