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Jackson Cooper, MFA

Profile Type:

Adjunct Faculty, Arts Leadership

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Jackson Cooper is a nationally recognized arts leader, creative executive, and musical theatre historian dedicated to community impact, public policy, arts philanthropy, cultural preservation.

Biography

Jackson Cooper is a nationally recognized arts leader, creative executive, and musical theatre historian with over 15 years of experience advancing equity, innovation, and sustainability in the nonprofit arts sector. A former Executive Director of the American Genre Film Archive and current Washington State Arts Commissioner, he has led transformative fundraising campaigns, produced 150+ performances, and taught arts leadership at 91亚色传媒 and UNC-Greensboro. His work spans cultural policy, philanthropy, and creative development—including books on kindness, Broadway revues, and sustainable fundraising.

 

Education

  • 91亚色传媒 — Seattle, WA
    Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Arts Leadership — May 2022
    Thesis: Accountability to Commitments to Equity and Antiracism in Performing Arts Organizations
  • University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNC-Greensboro) – Greensboro, NC
    Bachelor of Arts (BA), Theatre, Organizational Management & Business Administration
    Honors College; Recipient, UNCG Creative Research Grant

Courses Taught

  • Philanthropy and Fundraising, Graduate, Fall 2023, 2024
  • Student Internship, Undergraduate, Fall 2024
  • Intro to Arts Leadership, Undergraduate, Winter 2023
  • Fundraising for the Arts, Undergraduate, Winter 2023
  • Funding the Creative Futures, Graduate*, Winter 2025
  • Student Internship, Undergraduate, Winter 2025
  • Student Internship, Graduate, Spring 2025
  • Individual Giving, Graduate, Spring 2025

Faculty Representative: Board of Trustees — University Advancement Committee

*Received Provost's Racial Equity Strategic Plan Grant for Revising “Fundraising in the Arts” graduate class to become “Funding the Creative Futures” in alignment with University’s Strategic Plan

Publications

Books

  • Grannemann, H, Cooper, J. (2026—In Press) Sustainable Fundraising. Columbia Business School Publishing.
  • A Kids Book About Kindness. (2023). DK Publishing/AKidsCo.

Book Chapters

  • Cooper, J. (2026). Innovative Approaches to Teaching Fundraising and Development. Ed. A. Rhine, Innovative Pedagogy in Cultural Management Education. Routledge.
  • Cooper, J. (2026). Case Studies in Union-led Arts Organizations and Contributed Revenue Development in a Post-COVID Economy. Ed. R. Shane, Labor Relations and the Future of Creative Work: Arts on the Line. TBD.
  • Cooper, J. (2026). Advice for Artists. Ed. A. Rhine, Innovative Pedagogy in Cultural Management Education. Routledge.
  • Cooper, J. (2020). Advice for Artists. Ed. A. Rhine, Innovative Pedagogy in Cultural Management Education. Routledge.

Encyclopedia Entries

  • (2024). William Henry Curry. Grove Music Online/Oxford Dictionary of Music.

Book Reviews

  • Cooper, J. (2026). Review: Financial Management in the Arts. Ed. E. Dale, Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly.

Manuscripts in Preparation

  • Cooper, J. (In Proposal). Funding the Creative Future. Book.
  • Cooper, J. (In Proposal). Midnight Movies: The Birth of an American Movement. Book.

Web-Based Publications

  • “Decolonizing Fundraising Practices,” , 2022