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Board of Trustees

The following is the current Board of Trustees that oversees The Cooper Institute's strategic direction and educational and research initiatives.

Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., Dallas, TX.
Chairman of the Board and CEO

  • Author of the best-selling book, Aerobics, in 1968 and 17 subsequent books
  • Founded The Cooper Institute, a nonprofit foundation, in 1970
  • Later established the Cooper Clinic, Cooper Fitness Center, Cooper Guest Lodge, the Spa, Cooper Wellness Program, Cooper Ventures, and Cooper Concepts, Inc.

Frederick R. Meyer, Dallas, TX.
Vice Chairman of the Board

  • Resides in Dallas where he is active in numerous business and community activities
  • Presidential appointment to the US Naval Academy Board of Visitors, 2002
  • Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Presidential Inauguration, 2001

Neil J. O’Brien, Dallas, TX.
Secretary of the Board

  • Partner, Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP, Dallas, TX. (Ret.)
  • Founding member of the Board of the Dallas Business Committee for the Arts
  • Board member at the University of Dallas, Dallas, TX
  • Member of the City of Dallas High Technology Task Force
  • Institute Board member since 1980

Lester M. Alberthal, Jr., Plano, TX.

  • Former Chairman, President, and CEO of Electronic Data Systems, Plano, TX
  • Board Member:
    • Cox School of Business at SMU
    • Center for the Pacific Rim at the University of San Francisco
    • Center for Strategic and International Studies
  • Institute Board member since 1989

Arthur M. Blank, Atlanta, GA.

  • Co-founder of Home Depot
  • Chairman of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.
  • Owner and CEO of the Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia Force
  • Institute Board member since 2003

Susan Dell, Austin, TX.

  • Co-founder and CEO of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
    • The foundation is designed to encour­age children to reach their greatest potential
  • Founder/CEO, Phi
  • 2004 Ironman Triathlete Competition Finisher
  • Institute Board member since 2002

Elmer Doty, Dallas, TX.

  • President and CEO of Vought Aircraft Industries
  • Institute Board member since 2006

David D. Glass, Bentonville, AR.

  • Member of Retail Hall of Fame and Arkansas Business Hall of Fame
  • Chairman/CEO Kansas City Royals Major League team
  • Board of Directors, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
  • Institute Board Member since 2004

Joseph Goldstein, M.D., Dallas, TX.

  • Recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Medicine for research on cholesterol metabolism
  • Professor of Molecular Genetics and Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
  • Institute Board member since 2003

Hon. Mike Huckabee, Little Rock, AR

  • Former Governor of Arkansas
  • Author “Stop Digging Your Grave With A Knife and Fork"
  • Institute Board member since 2005.

Ray Hunt, Dallas, TX.

  • CEO of Hunt Oil Company, Dallas, TX
  • Chairman, President, and CEO of Hunt Consolidated, Inc., Dallas, TX
  • Chairman of the Board of Directors, Federal Reserve Bank, Dallas, TX
  • Member of the Texas Business Hall of Fame
  • Institute Board member since 1984

Jim Keyes, Dallas, TX.

  • CEO of Blockbuster, Inc.
  • Education is Freedom Foundation Board Member
  • 2005 Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished American Award Recipient
  • Institute Board member since 2006

Drayton McLane, Jr., Temple, TX.

  • Chairman of the McLane Group, Temple, TX
  • Chairman and CEO of the Houston Astros Baseball Club
  • Vice President of the Executive Board, Boy Scouts of America (National)
  • Institute Board member since 1993

Robert B. Palmer, Dallas, TX.

  • Former Chairman and CEO of Digital Equipment Corporation
  • Board member of Advanced Micro Devices
  • Institute Board member since 1994

Jeanne Phillips, Dallas, TX

  • Sr. Vice President, Hunt Oil Company
  • Chair of the Board Development Committee
  • Former U.S. Ambassador to the 30 member organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
  • Institute Board member since 2005

Nina Radford, M.D., Dallas, TX.

  • Director, Cardiovascular Medicine and Director of Clinical Research, Cooper Clinic
  • Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center
  • Institute Board member since 2007

Steven Reinemund, Raleigh, NC.

  • Dean of Business, Professor of Leadership & Strategy
    at Wake Forest Univeristy
  • Chairman of the Board and CEO of PepsiCo in Purchase, NY. (Ret.)
  • Member of the Board of Directors of Johnson & Johnson
  • Trustee of the Darden School at the University of Virginia
  • Institute Board member since 2003

Roger Staubach, Dallas, TX.

  • Executive Chairman, Americas
    Jones, Long, LaSalle, Inc.
  • Board Member:
    • AMR Corporation Board of Trustee
  • Former NFL Dallas Cowboys quarterback
  • Institute Board member since 1980

Louis Sullivan, M.D., Atlanta, GA.

  • Former Secretary of the US Department of Health & Human Services
  • Founder and President Emeritus, The Morehouse School of Medicine
  • Founding President, Association of Minority Health Professions Schools.
  • Institute Board member since 2003

 

Board Committee Descriptions and Appointments

Executive Committee
FUNCTION:
Utilizes the authority of the full Board of Trustees in the governance of the business, legal, and ethical affairs of the Institute, except where action by the full Board is expressly required.

MEMBERS:

  • Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., Chair
  • Frederick R. Meyer, Vice Chair
  • Neil J. O'Brien, Secretary

Governance / Long-Range Planning Committee
FUNCTION:
Responsible for nomination and renomination of trustees to the Board. Ensures that adequate planning has been undertaken by the leadership of the Board to carry out the mission of the organization. Handles other governance issues of the corporation throughout the year.

MEMBERS:

  • Frederick R. Meyer, Chair
  • Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H.
  • Joseph Goldstein, M.D.
  • Ray Hunt
  • Nina Radford, M.D.
  • Louis Sullivan, M.D.

Development Committee
FUNCTION: Makes recommendations to the Board regarding the ways and means for raising annual and capital funds, endowment funds, and planned giving protocols to meet the immediate and long-range funding objectives of the organization.

MEMBERS:

  • Jeanne Phillips, Chair
  • James W. Keyes
  • Elmer Doty
  • Barbara McGowan, ex officio

Audit Committee
FUNCTION: Reviews financial statements, internal control matters, and any other communications from and with the external auditor. Reports to the Board.
MEMBERS:
  • Les Alberthal, Chair
  • David Glass
  • Drayton McLane, Jr.
  • Neil O'Brien

Investment Committee
FUNCTION: Oversees short- and long-term investments of the Institute’s endowment and operating reserve.

MEMBERS:

  • Robert Palmer, Chair
  • Arthur M. Blank
  • Steven Reinemund
  • Roger Staubach

 

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