Dr. John T. Cooper, Jr.

Dr. John T. Cooper, Jr. is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning Department, and Director of the Texas Target Communities Program, at Texas A&M University. Dr. Cooper’s areas of interest include principles of inclusive planning and plan quality. He has a deep commitment to working with emergency planners to increase the extent to which socially vulnerable populations are able to prepare for, survive and recover from disasters.

From 2005-2010, he directed the FEMA-funded Emergency Preparedness Demonstration Program, a $2.5 million effort to understand barriers to increased disaster awareness and preparedness in marginalized communities.

In addition to serving on the Advisory Board for the Coastal Resilience Center, he serves on the boards of directors for the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities and the Bill Anderson Fund (BAF).  A central mission of the BAF is to increase the representation of people of color in disaster research and practice.   

Educational background: Economics, urban planning, city and regional planning (Texas A & M University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill).