Alongside You When It Matters.
The Right Leaders. The Right Roles. The Right Time.
We represent your organization as if we were one of you.
Our Approach.
We are a collaborative team of nonprofit and executive search practitioners who leverage our deep bench of experience in and knowledge of the nonprofit sector to extend the capacity and competitiveness of our client organizations. We provide hands-on, comprehensive talent acquisition support that goes beyond their expectations of a search partner in every way.
Put simply, we are willing to do the work that doesn’t scale, because nonprofit and social sector organizations are no less deserving of the highest-quality talent than any corporation or organization with exceedingly large budgets and capacities to spend.
We prioritize two critical aspects often foregone in the interest of efficiency and profitability:
Representing our clients as if we are members of their executive team.
Preserving the respect and dignity of every candidate we engage, chosen or not.
Based in Chicago, with team members across the country, we invest intentionally in the growth, development, and well-being of our team. We partner with organizations working to strengthen communities and improve lives, and we seek to create workplaces where people feel valued, supported, and able to do their best work.
Why Leaders Choose Cooper Coleman.
We believe the best leadership decisions emerge from understanding the organization, exercising sound judgment, and staying personally accountable to the outcome.
We do the work that doesn't scale.
By taking on fewer engagements at a time, we can remain more present, responsive, and invested in every search.
We become immersed in your organization.
We take the time to understand each organization’s culture, context, challenges, and ambitions before the search begins.
We stay personally involved.
Senior partners lead every engagement from beginning to end.
We represent your organization as if we were one of you.
As nonprofit leaders and fundraisers, we understand that every interaction on your behalf is a representation of your mission.
We treat candidates with dignity.
We believe a thoughtful search process should leave people respected, informed, and fairly considered.
We provide greater clarity.
Our assessments help decision-makers understand not only what candidates have done, but how they are likely to lead.
Retained Executive Search
Cooper Coleman conducts retained executive searches for mission-driven organizations across the nonprofit and social impact sector. We lead searches for executive and senior leadership roles where judgment, alignment, and long-term fit matter most.
Every search is designed specifically for the organization and role. We take responsibility for the full process, from discovery through placement, allowing clients to focus on evaluating leaders with clarity and confidence.
Areas of Focus.
We conduct searches across executive and senior leadership functions, including:
Chief Executive President
Executive Director
Development
Fundraising
Finance
Accounting
Operations Administration
Marketing Communications
People & Culture
Human Resources
Programs
Impact
Mission
Information Technology
Digital
Strategy
Planning
We also conduct professional-level searches at the Director-level and below.
Reach out to discuss your search needs throughout the organizational chart.
A Message From Our Founders.
Cooper Coleman was founded on a simple belief: leadership decisions in mission-driven organizations carry real responsibility, and executive search should reflect that seriousness.
As nonprofit executives and organizational leaders ourselves, we understand the stakes of leadership transitions. We know the pressures leaders face, the expectations boards carry, and the long-term consequences of getting a hire wrong.
That experience shapes how we approach our work. We lead searches with rigor and care, challenge assumptions when clarity is needed, and represent organizations honestly in the market. We treat candidates with dignity throughout the process because how a search is conducted matters as much as its outcome.
We are grateful for the trust our clients place in us, and we do not take it lightly. It is a responsibility we are proud to carry.
JOHNNY COOPER | MPA, CFRE
Founder + CEO
BILL COLEMAN | MBA, M.Ed.
Co-Founder + Principal
Our Mission.
We Represent Our Social Sector Clients With Integrity & Authenticity
by leading executive searches grounded in care, judgment, and accountability. Our work is focused on placing the right people in the right roles at the right time, aligning leadership experience and values with the responsibility of the role and the mission it serves.
We begin every search with deep listening. Through inquiry and partnership, we develop a clear understanding of your organization’s purpose, culture, and leadership needs.
Each day, we choose to make an uncompromising commitment to:
-
Redefine the social sector's expectation of search and consulting firms.
-
Add value that few others can match, but every organization deserves.
-
Embrace equity and fairness.
-
Prioritize mission, impact, and dignity over profit.
Values
Integrity
Authenticity
Humility
Partnership
Rigor
Inclusion
Vision
We believe mission-driven organizations deserve executive search partners who take leadership decisions seriously, represent institutions with care, and treat candidates with dignity.
Our vision is a social impact sector where leadership transitions are approached with rigor, transparency, and accountability, because who leads matters to the communities organizations serve.
How We Work
Our approach is research-driven and human-centered. We apply rigor throughout the search process, thoughtfully challenging assumptions when needed to bring clarity, alignment, and strong leadership outcomes.
Meet Our Team.
Julia Cooper Coleman
(she/her)
Deputy Chief Growth Officer
Jack Cooper Coleman
(he/him)
Chief Growth Officer
Johnny Cooper,
MPA, CFRE
MPA, CFRE (he/him)
Founder & CEO
Bill Coleman, MBA, M.Ed.
MBA, M.Ed. (he/him)
Co-Founder & Principal
Tony Paskauskas
(he/him)
Chief Operating Officer
J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D.
Ph.D. (he/him)
Director, Executive Search & Senior Management Consultant
Kiratiana Freelon
(she/her)
Executive Researcher &
Search Consultant
Kathy Kraushar
(she/her)
Senior Advisor
Noel Foltz
(she/her)
Digital Communications Associate
Ellen Winter, Ph.D.
Ph.D. (she/her)
Senior Advisor, Campaign & Organization Development
Reshma Parmanand
MBA (she/her)
Senior Advisor, Programs & International Development
Achal Shah
(he/him)
Senior Advisor, Human Resources Policy, Systems, and Benefits
Judith Dumont, M.Ed., SHRM-CP
M.Ed., SHRM-CP (she/her)
Senior Advisor, Organization Development
Julie Anderson, Ph.D.
Ph.D. (she/her)
Senior Advisor, Leadership & Board Development
Join Our Team
Cooper Coleman is growing!
We are in search of talented, passionate nonprofit executive search consultants to join our team and deliver the exceptional service nonprofit organizations deserve from their search partners! View our position profile below to see if this is the right firm for you.
Submit your expression of interest via email to Bill Coleman.
Position Overview
As an Executive Search Consultant at Cooper Coleman, you will play a pivotal role in sourcing and securing exceptional executive talent for our clients in the nonprofit and social impact sectors. Your primary responsibilities will include cultivating client relationships, leveraging your network to develop your own business, and providing comprehensive executive search services that align with our firm's values and client expectations.
Download the complete position profile today!
Our Locations.
While headquartered in Chicago, Cooper Coleman is an ever-growing company with consultants across the United States.
Chicago
318 W Adams St
Suite 1600
Chicago, IL 60606
Cincinnati
Los Angeles
Washington, DC
750 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
New York
Let's Get To Work.
Together.
If you're a nonprofit leader or board member and would like to discuss our services and the possibility of working together, please reach out here. We look forward to discovering how we can help you move your team and organization forward.