Gwen Cooper, MPA, CFRE
Chief Advancement Officer
Gwen Cooper is chief advancement officer at Americans United for Life. She brings over 25 years of executive experience in all facets of organizational management, from leading statewide voluntary nonprofit fundraising, marketing, and membership and advocacy platforms to serving as an executive in multi-state healthcare delivery systems. Most recently she spearheaded the build of an international communications hub for a $2B Faith community. Prior to that, Cooper served as CEO of Accessia Health, successfully leading the national organization through a three-year Federal Corporate Integrity Agreement while maintaining an annual fundraising budget of ~$44M.
Cooper’s successes include award-winning communications, corporate rebrands, and integrated marketing campaigns deployed to maximize brand promise, revenue benchmarks, and mission delivery. To date she has raised over $150M for the missions she served. Her ability to create meaningful policy by gaining consensus among diverse stakeholders has resulted in groundbreaking legislation in multiple states, increasing revenue for exponential growth and service delivery.
Cooper has worked on notable federal advocacy campaigns, including the rollout of Medicare Part D, 21st Century Cures Act, Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act, the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act, and the preservation of the Johnson Amendment, ensuring charitable giving laws remain intact. At the state level, she has authored and passed new policies every year from 2010-2022, ensuring people have access to medications, palliative care, addiction treatment, social and community services, and mental health services.
Cooper was appointed to the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute’s (PCORI) Patient Engagement Advisory Panel for a 3-year term, ensuring the voice of healthcare consumers is front and center in government-funded research. She was named a 2022 Louisville Business First Healthcare Hero and has served on the boards of the American Lung Association and the National Hypoglycemia Support Foundation since 2004.
She received her B.A. in mass communications with a minor in speech communications from the University of South Florida and a Master of Public Affairs & Nonprofit Management from Indiana University. She has maintained the Certified Fundraising Credential since 2010.
Gwen and her family live in Tallahassee, Florida, and spend much of their time hiking, boating, or at the baseball field with their son, who just accepted an offer to continue his baseball career in college. Her oldest son and most immediate family members are serving or have served in our military.
