Kathryn Cooper-Nicholas Profile
Kathryn Cooper-Nicholas was born and raised in Baltimore city. She was educated in the Baltimore city school system graduated from Edmondson Senior High school with honors. While at Edmondson, Kathryn was editor of the school newspaper and secretary of the Senior Class.
After high school Kathryn attended the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in African American Studies/Community Involvement. While at UMBC she was part of a class project to development a community center in Edmondson Village in Baltimore city.
Kathryn Cooper-Nicholas served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Methodist Action Program (MAP) in Wilmington Delaware. The Methodist Action Program is a planning, training, and resource development faith-based agency, which enables communities and congregations in all areas of the Peninsula Delaware Conference to examine both the resources and their community’s needs. Since heading up MAP, Kathryn has continued the high standard of programming at the agency and included additional programs. Under her leadership MAP co-sponsored Delaware’s only faith-based Community Economic Development Symposium. Also under her leadership MAP conducted a Youth Entrepreneur Camp at Wesley College in Dover Delaware during the summers. Another project that she spearheaded is an adjudicated youth program. Youth Moving Forward is a faith-based program that targets first-time non-violent youth offenders. A graduate of this program received the first State of Delaware Kids Count Youth Leadership award given in 2004. In 2001 MAP, along with the Wilmington, De. Metropolitan Urban League and the Wilmington Stop the Violence Coalition co-sponsored a youth symposium. The symposium was planned by youth and over 600 youth from the Wilmington area attended.
She was responsible for several facilities housing feeding programs, homeless empowerment programs and job training programs. Prior to coming to MAP, she served as the first layperson and female Executive Director of the Eastern Pennsylvania United Methodist Office of Urban Ministries (formerly the Office of Metro Ministries). Under her leadership, Nehemiah 2000 Urban Ministry Plan was developed because of her direct efforts seven faith-based Community Development Corporations were established. Continuous training and technical assistance were provided to local churches. Cookman UMC was chosen as the first “faith-based” community organization to be a “Charitable Choice” designated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania..
Kathryn has always had a strong commitment to youth development. She created a multi-cultural overnight Performing Arts camp in Pennsylvania. She sponsored 15 youth from North Philadelphia to participate in a mission trip to a hurricane damaged area in the Caribbean. Six of those youth as young adults received their certification in Community Economic Development, partnered with Temple University and built the first all male transitional housing for 18-24 year olds.
Most of her professional experience has been in the area of housing and community development. After graduation from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, she started her career in Public Housing Management with the Housing Authority of Baltimore City. She continued her career working for private subsidized housing developers and the Philadelphia Housing Authority. She worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as a public housing management specialist. At HUD, she coordinated the first minority Business Enterprise Expo. She received an award of Outstanding Accomplishment for her work at HUD.
Kathryn also served as Deputy Executive Director of the Chester Redevelopment Authority in Pennsylvania where she led the team in the release of 12 million dollars frozen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development. She also developed housing, community and economic development programs.
In 2004 she started Faith In Action(FIA) consultants who provided technical assistance to faith-based and community organizations in capacity building, internal controls logic models, program development and fund development.
On Labor Day 2007 after a tragic incident earlier in the year, where her youngest son was stabbed fifteen times (he survived) while waiting for a bus, Kathryn organized over 2,500 people to pray on 37 drug corners for the violence to stop in Baltimore. The fourth quarter in 2007 and throughout 2008 the violent crime rate dropped to its lowest in thirty years. Kathryn serves on several community organizations, committees and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. .
Kathryn states that her mission is that of empowering those who historically have been left behind or excluded from participating in their own destiny.
