John Alfred "Jack" Cooper Coleman
Chief Growth Officer
John Coleman and Johnny Cooper welcomed their first child into the world on May 22, 2023. As they settle into their new life as a family of three, Jack will be getting up to speed with the goings-on of his namesake firm.
Jack joined the firm after an intense 40-week (exactly) recruitment process and is warming the hearts of everyone on the team. Keep your eyes peeled, he may make an appearance at a Zoom meeting at any time...although, he's often found sleeping on the job.
Johnny Cooper MPA, CFRE (he/him)
Founder + CEO
Johnny has spent his career as a nonprofit leader focused on fundraising and organizational leadership, serving most recently as Chief of Philanthropy for Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF), the charitable arm of the International Association of Lions Clubs, the world’s largest volunteer humanitarian service organization with 1.4 million members.
In this role, he oversaw LCIF’s global development, operations, marketing, and communication. He spearheaded a $300M comprehensive campaign, facilitated a vast structure of nearly 48,000 volunteer fundraisers across 205 countries, and provided strategic guidance and resources to 750 districts in 250 regions. Mr. Cooper has led international teams as large as 67 across four continents and advocated for humanitarian aid at the World Health Organization and among Ministers of Health, Finance, and Technology in countries throughout East and Southern Africa, Europe, South Asia, and Latin America.
Johnny has represented organizations across the charitable sector, including higher education, global health, mental health, LGBTQ+ rights and services, disaster relief, and services for the Armed Forces. He served as Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at the University of San Francisco and Director of Corporate Partnerships for Orbis International, an international blindness prevention organization where he led the international launch of Orbis' Flying Eye Hospital in 2016, the world's only ophthalmic teaching hospital aboard a cargo jet.
As Director of Business Development for Global Health Corps, he focused on health equity and health systems strengthening in the developing world; served as Senior Development Officer of Corporate and Foundation Partnerships for the American Red Cross, raising more than $77 million with his team for response and recovery in the wake of Superstorm Sandy; and led national development efforts as Director of Development for The Trevor Project, a crisis intervention and suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ young people. He has and continues to provide development and leadership counsel to nonprofit organizations, both professionally and pro bono. His longest client relationship and favorite charitable organization is Helpusadpot.org, dating back to 2010.
Before joining the nonprofit sector as a professional, he served as a board member for Youth First Texas, an LGBTQ+ youth services organization in North Texas, now a program of the Resource Center of Dallas.
Johnny’s career in development is dedicated to impacting the lives of others, and his experience is underscored by his commitment to academic and professional achievement. Johnny has been a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals for more than 10 years and a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) since 2013.
Johnny Cooper resides in Chicago, Illinois, with his husband, John, their newborn son, Jack, and a German Shorthaired Pointer, named Baron.
Education
Doctor of Business Administration, Human Resources - Thomas Edison State University (2024)
Master of Public Administration - Villanova University
Bachelor of Science, Organizational Leadership - Thomas Edison State University
Bill Coleman MBA, M.Ed. (he/him)
Co-Founder + Principal
Prior to Cooper Coleman LLC, Bill founded and led Coleman Search Consulting LLC, for more than 10 years before selling the firm and serving as a Managing Director for Dressler Search Group. He spent the five years preceding Coleman Search Consulting as Managing Director of Boyden Global Executive Search and a leader of the firm's aerospace and industrial practice groups.
Bill has worked with publicly and privately held corporations in the recruitment of C-level operating, finance, human resources, sales/marketing, supply chain and technology executives. He served as Senior Vice President of Lee Hecht Harrison, where he directed the company's offering of career services and leadership consulting. During his 20 years in manufacturing, he held senior level general management, sales, and marketing positions with Teledyne, Fullerton Metals, and Crucible Materials Corporation.
Bill and his wife are proud grandparents to 15 (so far) and they live in Cincinnati, Ohio near their five children.
Education
Master of Business Administration, Marketing - Xavier University
Master of Education, Counseling - Xavier University
Noel Foltz (she/her)
Digital Communications Associate
Noel Foltz is a Senior at Virginia Commonwealth University pursuing a BFA in Graphic Design with a minor in psychology. In addition to her role at Cooper Coleman, she manages social media for a nonprofit organization supporting single moms. In 2022, she rebranded the organization’s website and has grown its social following exponentially in her first year working with the organization. Noel is passionate about supporting nonprofit organizations.
Noel brings advanced graphic design skills and her nonprofit experience as a contractor, intern, and volunteer to bear as she works to enhance the user experience throughout Cooper Coleman’ communications and digital presence.
When not in Virginia, Noel spends time in her native Northern Kentucky, with her family and two labs.
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design - Virginia Commonwealth University
Kathy Kraushar (she/her)
Vice President, Executive Search
Kathy has built an extensive career as a business development professional strategizing with executive leadership at major health systems across the country to achieve operational alignment and financial success.
For more than 17 years, Kathy served as the Regional Director for MediSync Health Solutions, leading market strategy growth for the company’s revenue optimization program. Kathy scaled the program nationally, identifying and developing the talent, program development, and network connections required to achieve optimal success.
She served as a trusted client advisor to executive teams as they developed and implemented collaborative, multi-department solutions, which yielded sustainable financial and cultural growth. Her thorough understanding of their challenges and opportunities enables her to provide unique, inclusive approaches that resonate with all levels of management and leadership.
Kathy brings a background in nonprofit leadership as well. For more than 14 years, she served in leadership positions at the Deaconess Hospital and Deaconess Foundation, where she built and led physician recruitment, fund development, and program development. She collaborated with executive, medical and community leaders in creating services that increase the quality and accessibility of care offered to the senior community in the Greater Cincinnati area.
She is passionate about serving as a trusted partner with social and healthcare sector organizations to identify, assess, and hire exceptional leaders whose vision, values, and expertise will drive systemic change throughout their communities. She is a Cincinnati native with long-standing roots in the community.
Education
Bachelor of Science, Marketing - Miami University
M'Balia "Bali" Lambie (she/her)
Senior Management Consultant
Development, Marketing, Communications
Bali Lambie is a seasoned professional with a passion for developing purpose-driven campaigns, that drive societal impact and deliver authentic brand trust. Bali has experience in all aspects of marketing and communication, from developing brand strategies to managing digital marketing campaigns to creating and executing lead generation/donor acquisition programs.
Bali has worked for national non-profits, luxury consumer brands, and entertainment companies. With a background in fundraising, marketing, brand management, client development, and event marketing, Bali genuinely enjoys amplifying the collective spirit to connect action with purpose. Bali has led impact campaigns, strategic initiatives, and experiential events throughout her career to increase brand exposure and brand identity. While at the American Heart Association, she was part of the original ideation team that launched the national cause campaign Go Red for Women. While at the American Red Cross, she created and implemented a digital campaign, honoring local everyday heroes. Additionally, Bali led the strategic planning for Keep America Beautiful and spearheaded the Hispanic national programming for the Canelo, Golden Boy partnership with Hennessy V.S.O.P (Moet Hennessy). In addition, Bali has worked with recognizable brands like Sotheby’s and Emmis Communications (Hot 97, WBLS, WLIB). Bali believes in a world that is rapidly evolving, conventional thinking is not enough and requires the collective human spirit to act swiftly, to deliver fair treatment to all…because equality is a basic human right.
Bali is no stranger to activism. Born and raised on the Lower East Side (NYC), by a single mother, Bali knows firsthand the inequalities embedded in our society based on race, sex, and socioeconomic standing. Bali comes from a long line of Civil Rights activists and attended her first peaceful protest before the age of 2 years old and continues to share her voice in support of the BIPOC community and human protection causes.
Bali believes an organization's brand identity and integrity are the best ways to gain a competitive advantage in vying for volunteers, donations, advocates, and recognition in a crowded, competitive space. Together they help people recognize the organization and its mission and influence people's perceptions. Together they connect the mission to the organization's identity, giving members, staff, volunteers, and trustees a shared sense of purpose (why the organization does what it does) and impact (why that matters to the world).
She strongly believes in these words by Dr. King, "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Tony Paskauskas (he/him)
Chief Operating Officer
For nearly 14 years, Tony served in various leadership capacities in the nonprofit sector, leading teams that drive the operations, logistics, customer service, and donor stewardship behind a $305 million international philanthropic foundation.
During his time at Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), Tony led the transformation of the Foundation’s operations, instituted rigorous efficiency measures, and oversaw all supportive functions of a five-year, $300 million comprehensive campaign—the largest in its 54-year history. In addition, Tony’s customer service and donation processing teams facilitated nearly 500,000 donation transactions over the course of the campaign, servicing more than 100,000 individual donors across six continents and in 13 official languages each year.
Managing dozens of professionals in the US, India, Japan, and Korea and volunteer leaders in more than 205 countries, Tony generated more revenue annually than any other producer, managing a program that accounts for as much as 90% of the Foundation’s revenue—The Melvin Jones Fellowship.
Under his leadership and strategic vision, LCIF’s development operations team substantially increased its productivity while absorbing exponential volume increases from previous campaigns. By establishing various operations overseas, he enhanced the global supply chain, distribution, and fulfillment of a world-class donor recognition program. Tony’s involvement in enterprise-wide initiatives transcended his areas of responsibility, contributing meaningfully to strategies that enhanced information technology, fundraising + development, marketing + communications, accounting + finance, human resources, supply chain management, and project management.
The depth and breadth of Tony’s expertise in logistics, operations, client services, and cultivating a comprehensive donor experience underpin his preparedness to enter the start-up world and lead Cooper Coleman to new heights.
He resides in the suburbs of Chicago with his wife, Heather, their three children, and two dogs. Tony is also a youth football and soccer coach in his spare time.
Education
Bachelor of Science, History – Illinois State University
Jennifer Snyder Brown MS, CER (she/her)
Director of Research + Engagement
Jennifer brings more than 15 years of nonprofit management experience and expertise in strategic partnerships and planning to the team. Before joining Cooper Coleman, Jennifer’s career was principally focused on fundraising for mission-driven organizations concentrated on women’s empowerment, US-based healthcare, global health, and disaster relief. With a commitment to purposeful philanthropy, Jennifer’s areas of expertise include overall strategy development surrounding organizations' comprehensive fundraising functions, including annual giving, special events, corporate and foundation relations, digital fundraising, major and principal gifts, planned giving, and board/volunteer development. Originally from Massachusetts, Jennifer resides in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and toddler son.
Education
Master of Science, Nonprofit Management - Columbia University
Bachelor of Science, Communications - Suffolk University
Certified Executive Researcher
John Toolan (he/him)
Vice President, Executive Search
John’s passion for the nonprofit sector spans more than three decades. While he was first introduced to Advancement as a college student, his career opportunities and volunteer work cemented his dedication to the industry.
His Advancement achievements at a large public university and at a small private college honed his deep understanding of the unique needs of higher education and the importance of strong leadership to build teams and drive results.
John decided to turn his talents toward recruitment and, prior to joining Cooper Coleman, spent six years in a leadership role building a boutique firm specializing in nonprofit executive search. During his tenure, the company was recognized by Forbes and Statista as one of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms. It also received recognition from Hunt Scanlon as Top 50 Higher Education Recruiters, Top 60 Nonprofit Recruiters, and HR/Diversity Recruiting Power 65.
John enjoys partnering with organizations in many social impact sectors. He has filled various leadership roles in education, healthcare, NGOs, and other nonprofits. His career has allowed him to work with some of the largest and most prestigious public and private universities, premier healthcare organizations, prominent grant-making organizations, small private colleges, and rising nonprofits.
John is a Certified Diversity and Inclusion Recruiter. His expertise in Advancement, best search practices, and new business development are a great addition to Cooper Coleman. He and his wife reside in Los Angeles, CA, where they enjoy traveling, watching baseball games, and spending time with family and friends.
Education
Bachelor of Science, Communications – Eastern Connecticut State University
Certified Diversity + Inclusion Recruiter
Our Core Team
Paul Towne MBA (he/him)
Vice President, Executive Search
Paul has devoted his career to advancing social good, splitting his time between raising funds for some of the world’s most impactful organizations and championing technology that promotes charitable giving and organizational effectiveness.
Paul most recently served as Sr. Director of Institutional Partnerships for Resilia, a social impact startup that partners with foundations to support capacity building, storytelling, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. He was instrumental in establishing Resilia’s presence in the western region of the US, securing partnerships with innovative funders (including Silicon Valley Community Foundation) to strengthen grassroots and BIPOC-led nonprofit organizations.
He held similar sales and business development roles with United Way Worldwide, CyberGrants, and IBM. At United Way and CyberGrants, he helped promote SaaS platforms for workplace giving and volunteering. He led software, hardware, and services sales for nonprofit organizations at IBM.
Paul has represented organizations across the charitable sector, including higher education, volunteerism, international development, disaster relief, and youth development. He served as Associate Director of Alumni Relations at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and Director of Corporate Partnerships for Points of Light, the world’s largest network of organizations committed to inspiring, equipping, and mobilizing community volunteers. At Points of Light, he launched a first-of-its-kind partnership with Google to support free/low-cost technology adoption and a global volunteerism partnership with Visa.
Paul has led technology sector engagement for international NGOs, including CARE and UNICEF USA, helping leverage corporate financial and technical resources to improve outcomes in financial inclusion, education, public health, disaster relief, and livelihoods. He launched first-time partnerships with Amazon, Apple, and Facebook, raising critical disaster relief funds and piloting “data for good” initiatives. At American Red Cross, he led the nation’s top-performing regional corporate fundraising team, securing more than $10M in corporate support.
After living in the Bay Area for more than ten years, Paul currently resides in Columbus, Ohio with his husband, Dan, and their two Boston Terriers, Oscar and Jackson. He serves on the alumni board of Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
Education
Master of Business Administration - Emory University's Goizueta Business School
Master of Arts, Clinical Psychology (all but thesis) - Loyola University Maryland
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology - Nazareth College
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.
Executive Search Consultant – Nonprofit and Social Sectors
Cooper Coleman LLC is a national boutique retained executive search and consulting firm that works exclusively in the social impact sector. Our purpose is to help mission-driven organizations, arts, cultural, educational, and research institutions—primarily nonprofit—source and secure the talent required for their success. We provide strategic counsel to our clients where appropriate and endeavor to generate as much value for our partners as possible on a given project.
Why join Cooper Coleman?
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Make a meaningful impact by supporting mission-driven organizations in the social impact sector
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Shape and contribute to the development of a growing firm and brand in the executive search industry
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Significant earnings potential
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Enjoy the flexibility of an independent consulting role
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Access comprehensive business infrastructure and support while maintaining autonomy to develop your own business
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Join a collaborative and inclusive team that values personal growth, support, and mutual success
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Embrace a work environment that prioritizes diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice
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Build and shape a brand and firm delivering a considerable, more valuable alternative to other solutions in the market
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Have more fun working than you ever have
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 social sector organizations are no less deserving of the highest-quality executive search services 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:
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Representing our clients authentically and as if we are members of their team; and,
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Preserving the respect and dignity of every candidate we engage, chosen or not.
Based in Chicago, with offices and team members in Cincinnati, Columbus, Washington, DC, New York, and California, we invest considerable resources and effort to support and develop our team. All our clients are committed to social justice and equality, and our work environment embraces these values.
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.
Appropriate New Additions to Our Team of Consultants are Executive Search Professionals who:
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Are genuinely motivated by the impact they can achieve by supporting our client organizations;
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Have a combination of experience (a) leading aspects of nonprofit organizations and (b) in executive search and recruiting; significant experience in either is also valuable and will be considered;
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Bring an engaged network of nonprofit organizations and leaders on whom they can call to build and develop business;
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Are motivated by their ability to build a business and generate significant earnings;
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Are independent producers who also value and appreciate a collaborative, team-oriented environment;
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Willingly support colleagues and welcome the insights and contributions of others in the firm;
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Have an exceptional customer service orientation and place quality-of-service above all else;
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Will proudly and competently represent the Cooper Coleman firm, team, and brand in everything they do.
For more details about what we seek in new team members,
download the complete position profile below:
Our Extended Team
An ever-growing cadre of incredibly talented professionals extends the capacity and capabilities of our team. They include recruiters and organizational development experts, frontline fundraisers, planned giving experts, communicators, marketers, designers—each of whom has been hand-selected from our previous work experience and meets our rigorous expectations for performance, expertise, and continued professional development. Meet a few of them below.
Julie Anderson Ph.D.
Los Angeles, CA
Organizational Development
Leadership Coaching
Development Consulting
Retreat Facilitation
Reshma Parmanand MBA
Johannesburg, ZA
Community + International
Development
Organizational Development
Program Implementation +
Strategy
Program Management
Monitoring + Evaluation
Expert in Eye Health +
Blindness Prevention
Judith Dumont
M.Ed., SHRM-CP
Dallas, TX
Organizational Development
Strategic Talent Management
Succession Planning
Strategic Planning
Curriculum Design
Performance Analytics
Cynde Horne JD, MA
Dallas, TX
Estate Planning
Planned and Major Gifts
Cultivation + Solicitation
Donor Engagement +
Stewardship
Kimberly Martin BFA
Chicago, IL
Digital Marketing
Marketing + Communication
Art Direction
Graphic Design
Brand Identity
Web Design
Ellen Winter Ph.D.
Melbourne, FL
Organizational Development
Campaign Leadership
Planned Giving
International Fundraising
Strategy
Leadership Development