WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, T. Charles Cooper was sworn in as Assistant Administrator for Legislative and Public Affairs (LPA) at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Cooper is coming to USAID from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), where he served from March 2010 to January 2013 as Vice President for Congressional and Public Affairs. From 1997 to 2010 Cooper worked for Senators Harry Reid (D-NV), Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) at the U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee, where he served as Staff Director (2000-2010), General Counsel and Deputy Staff Director (1999-2000), and Policy Advisor (1997-1999). 

He started his career on Capitol Hill in 1996 as Legislative Assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives in the office of then-Representative Sherrod Brown (D-OH). Before working on Capitol Hill, Cooper practiced law at Smith, Marshall and Weaver in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where he was an associate from 1986 to 1991 and a partner from 1991 to 1996.

Cooper received his B.A. in Political Science and English Literature at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, his J.D. at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and his M.S. in Public and Non-Profit Management, with a specialization in public policy, at New York University.

“This is an exciting time at USAID with unprecedented support from across the Administration to elevate development,” said USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah. “Chuck’s expertise will be a tremendous asset to USAID and will help us underscore the important role global development plays in advancing our national and economic security.”