
Our Team
Leadership

Laura DeFina, MD, FACP, FAHA
President, CEO and Chief Science Officer

Kayla Heath
Chief Financial Officer

Beth B. Wright, PhD
Senior Director, CCLS and Administration
Research

Jarrett Berry, MD

Stephen W. Farrell, PhD, FACSM
Senior Investigator

David Leonard, PhD
Director of Biostatistics

Andjelka Pavlovic, PhD
Director of Youth Research and Education

Kerem Shuval, PhD, MPH
Director of Epidemiology
Staff

Sarah Bickerstaff
Project Coordinator

Lisa Blackford
Staff Accountant

Michael Callac
Director of IT

Mark Donovan
Director of Accounting

Jizyah Injil
Youth Program Manager

Amy Jacobsen
Creative Director

Roy Laughlin
Building Maintenance Coordinator

Julie Reed
Business Coordinator

Joel Romo
Director of External Affairs

Carla Smith
Data Entry

Jim Summers
Database Administrator
Board of Trustees
The Cooper Institute's Board of Trustees provides fiduciary oversight, strategic guidance, and visionary leadership critical to our efforts in promoting lifelong health and wellness through research and education. Board members reflect diverse civic, corporate and philanthropic backgrounds that embody the core values of The Cooper Institute.
The Board of Trustees utilizes various committees to oversee key areas of The Cooper Institute such as our mission, governance, philanthropy and financial operations.

Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH
Chairman Emeritus
Board member since 1970

Tedd L. Mitchell, MD
Chairman
Board member since 2010

Charles Anderson
Vice Chairman
Board member since 2011

Stephen D. Good
Secretary
Board member since 2017

Troy Aikman
Board member since 2017

Arthur M. Blank
Board member since 2003

Brian O. Casey
Board member since 2011

Thomas W. Codd
Board member since 2017

Tyler C. Cooper, MD, MPH
Board member since 2017

Elmer L. Doty
Board member since 2006

Tony Evans, ThD
Board member since 2018

Ray L. Hunt
Board member since 1984

Jim W. Keyes
Board member since 2006

Drayton McLane, Jr.
Board member since 1993

Jeanne L. Phillips
Board member since 2005

Nina B. Radford, MD
Board member since 2007

Steve S. Reinemund
Board member since 2003

Eduardo J. Sanchez, MD, MPH, FAAFP
Board member since 2011

Roger Staubach
Board member since 1980
Scientific Advisory Board

Jarrett D. Berry, MD, MS
Professor and Chair, Department of Medicine at UT Tyler Health Science Center

Cedric X. Bryant, PhD
President and Chief Science Officer, ACE Fitness

Barry A. Franklin, PhD
Professor of Physiology, School of Medicine, Wayne State University

Kelley Pettee Gabriel, PhD
Professor, School of Public Health, University of Alabama

William S. Harris, PhD
Professor, Department of Medicine, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota

Harold W. Kohl, PhD
Professor of Epidemiology, Associate Regional Dean, UTHealth School of Public Health in Austin, Texas

Wendy M. Kohrt, PhD
Professor, University of Colorado Denver – Anschultz Medical Campus

William E. Kraus
Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Duke University Medical Center

I-Min Lee, MBBS, MPH, ScD
Professor of Epidemiology, TS Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University

Benjamin D. Levine, MD
Professor, Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Charles E. Matthews, PhD
Senior Investigator, National Cancer Institute Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics, Metabolic Epidemiology Branch
FitnessGram Advisory Board

Kelly Alums-Featherson, PhD
Physical Education Teacher at Kimball Elementary and Adjunct Professor at Texas Christian University and Texas Women's University

Eloise Elliott, PhD
Ware Distinguished Professor, College of Applied Human Sciences, West Virginia University

Kathleen F. Janz, EdD
Professor Emeritus in the Department of Health and Human Physiology at the University of Iowa

Harold W. Kohl, PhD, MSPH, FACSM, FNAK
Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas at Austin

Kelly R. Laurson, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Kinesiology and Recreation at Illinois State University

Matthew Mahar, EdD
Professor and Director, School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University

Georgi Roberts, MLS
Director of Health, Physical Education & Coordinated Health for Fort Worth ISD

Francis X. Short
Professor Emeritus in the Department of Kinesiology, Sports Studies, and Physical Education at SUNY Brockport

Gregory J. Welk, PhD
Barbara E. Forker Professor with the Department of Kinesiology at Iowa State University

Vanessa Yingling
Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at California State University, East Bay

Weimo Zhu, PhD
Professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Join Our Team
The Cooper Institute is committed to diversity and is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, providing equal employment including internship and post-doctoral opportunities to all those qualified, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation.