About Us
What is Coop Di Leu?
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Coop Di Leu (CDL) is a consulting, educational, and professional development company founded to advance character development, transformative thinking, and service alignment in greater Charlotte and beyond. The company specializes in divergent thought life and skillset development among diverse professionals and advocates in education, government, company, and community settings. It also authors youth social-emotional education and literature.
Based in Charlotte, NC, CDL offers a unique expertise to accelerate the advancement of divergent innovation and instruction. We are explicitly concerned with the inner workings that produce inclusive excellence or not. We strive to illuminate behaviors that make inclusive excellence and the value of difference a fallacy, folklore, or fact. We also understand that identity values begin early in life, and youth need intrusive attention to instill values and beliefs that foster healthy and productive citizenship.
CDL is a voice for diversity-related professionals and a friend to young people around the globe through our menu of services. Former executives, researchers, and scholars give Coop Di Leu a competitive advantage that is both transformative and transnational. We create a positive and sustainable impact between human differences and their lived experiences in the workplace and worldwide.
Coop Di Leu Sponsors, Clients, and Hosting Agents
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education
University of Nebraska System
Community College
of Allegheny County
Messiah University
Leadership Team
Our team brings years of higher education experience in various diversity administrative and leadership positions; therefore, they understand the need for real-time and relevant professional and institutional development.
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A 4-time CDO, “Dr. Coop” has earned national prominence as a transformative agent in higher education diversity administration. He instructs certification coursework at the national level and holds certifications in cognitive diversity applications, diversity return on investment, diversity executive leadership, creative problem solving, and adaptive-innovation theory. He is an alum of Indiana State University and is a post-doctoral alum of both the Harvard Management Development Program and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Millennium Leadership Initiative.
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Dr. Coopwood is a member of the International Association of Diversity Officers, past board member and co-chair of professional development for the National Association for Diversity Officers in Higher Education, and a past member of editorial, academic, natural disaster, and international boards. He is the Owner of Coopwood Progressive Workshops & Developments (CPWD, LLC), a multi-faceted diversity education, speaking, research, and development company. His last institutional service was completed as the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at St. Mary's College of Maryland.
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Dr. Coopwood earned his Ph.D. in educational administration, leadership, and foundations, his master’s degree in political science, with emphasis on federal policy, and his undergraduate degree in business administration, with emphasis in finance, marketing and management, all from Indiana State University.
DR. KEN D. COOPWOOD, SR. “COOP”
CEO/OWNER
A 4-time CDO, “Dr. Coop” has earned national prominence as a transformative agent in higher education diversity administration.
Dr. S. Coopwood (Smith) has extensive experience in counseling, education, and administration both in the United States and Belize. Dr. Coopwood has facilitated numerous professional development workshops in Belize, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.
With over 25+ years of experience as a workshop facilitator/trainer, Dr. S. Coopwood has facilitated professional development sessions for diverse groups of participants and sectors to include child-care providers, mental health providers, nurses, clergy, teachers, governmental agencies (e.g Department of Public Services, Department of Education), and non-governmental agencies (e.g. National Organization for the Prevention of Child Abuse), and university personnel. Her counseling experiences involve working with adults, children labeled as ‘at-risk’, inpatient and outpatient mental health, and incarcerated individuals. In 2018, Dr. S. Coopwood was the recipient of the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) Outstanding Tenured Counselor Educator Award. Dr. S. Coopwood has numerous publications in the areas of disaster preparedness, school counseling, spirituality, and cultural competence.
DR. SHIRLENE COOPWOOD,
Ph.D., NCC
Dr. S. Coopwood (Smith) has extensive experience in counseling, education, and administration both in the United States and Belize. Dr. Coopwood has facilitated numerous professional development workshops in Belize, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.
William B. Harvey has more than four decades of experience in the academic and nonprofit sectors. A distinguished researcher and administrator, his scholarly activities have been focused on the cultural and social factors that affect underserved populations, with emphasis on college and university settings. The founding president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, he is a past board member of the National Council for Research on Women, the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education, the Yale-Howard Center on Health Disparities, the Study of New Scholars Project at Harvard University, the W.E.B. DuBois Scholars project at Princeton University, the Site Support for Schools project at Johns Hopkins University, and the Martin Luther King Living History and Public Policy Center.
DR. WILLIAM B. HARVEY
COOP DI LEU STRATEGIC ADVISOR
Pamela is Director of Events for Coop Di Leu. A veteran event and protocol professional for more than 20 years, Pamela is also a retired C-Suite administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). She leads implementation of Coop Di Leu symposiums, institutes, and Boot Camps through her extensive experience as founder and President of Speaking of Protocol, LLC and The Planned Event, LLC, companies which provide event management, professional development, business protocol, etiquette training, and vacation planning for professionals of all types.
She brings the mystique to Coop Di Leu engagements by elevating protocols and etiquettes for participants. Her expertise ensures that each Coop Di Leu experience challenges participants to rethink how and why they respond to social stimulus about their work and whether the proper response is one of protocol, etiquette or manners. Her work in event planning is noted for emphasizes in precision, which supports the Coop Di Leu aspiration for an environment that represents the embrace of diplomacy and finesse.
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Pamela holds a master’s degree in Event Management and Destination Tourism (George Washington University), a Bachelor of Science in Biology (Spelman College), a Certificate in International Management (Thunderbird Garvin School of International Leadership), and is an Ordained Minister with The Assemblies of God, USA. She is certified by The Protocol School of Washington as a Protocol Officer and trains business professionals and executives to know, understand and exhibit professional presence.
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Based out of Fredericksburg, VA, Pamela has traveled worldwide. Since 1990, she has traveled to over 15 countries participating in various facets of humanitarian projects and directing women's retreats. Her passion is and always has been - people!
PAMELA COOPWOOD
COOP DI LEU DIRECTOR OF EVENTS
Pamela is Director of Events for Coop Di Leu. A veteran event and protocol professional for more than 20 years, Pamela is also a retired C-Suite administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Dr. Priddie is a Research Project Associate for the National Survey of Student Engagement. Additionally, she holds a Certificate in Institutional Research that is under the direction of Dr. Vic Borden. Before starting her doctoral work, she was a program coordinator for a campus-wide student leadership program and a graduate assistant for Project Knowledge, a STEM intervention program, at Virginia State University. As a research team member for Project Knowledge, Dr. Priddie facilitated STEM intervention programming that assisted African American first-year college students’ performance and persistence.
Dr. Priddie is affiliated with the American Education Research Association (AERA) and the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Her research interests include campus environments and STEM performance and persistence for racially minoritized college students.
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Dr. Priddie holds a Ph.D. in the Higher Education program from Indiana University, Bloomington, a B.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University, and an M.S. in General Psychology from Virginia State University.
DR. CHRISTEN A. PRIDDIE
RESEARCHER
Dr. Priddie is a Research Project Associate for the National Survey of Student Engagement. Additionally, she holds a Certificate in Institutional Research that is under the direction of Dr. Vic Borden.
Coop Di Leu Associates
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Dr. Carlos N. Medina
Dr. Carlos N. Medina is the former Vice Chancellor and Chief Diversity Officer for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the State University of New York (SUNY). He serves as the founding Chief Diversity Officer at SUNY, the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the nation.
Mr. Darrell Brown
Darrell Brown is the Owner and CEO of Elite Behavioral Services. Headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, Elite offers behavioral management and drug screening services.
Graciela (Chela) Dufour
Graciela Dufour has been a respected leader in the human resource field for over 25 years, focusing on higher education for the past 20 years. She currently serves as the AVP for Human Resources and Title IX Coordinator at Lewis University in Southwest Suburban Chicago.
Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington
Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington, Pronouns (He/Him/His) is the President & Founder of the Washington Consulting Group (WCG). WCG was named by the Economist as one of the Top 10 Global Diversity Consultants in the world.
Dr. Janet Joan Evelyn
Janet J. Evelyn, Ph.D., GCDF, has over 20 years of leadership experience in higher education, ascending from Adjunct Instructor to Campus President. She is driven by her passion for student access and success.
Dr. Joan Holmes
Joan Holmes recently retired after twelve years as Special Assistant to the President for Equity and Special Programs at Hillsborough Community College (HCC) in Tampa, Florida. As Special Assistant to the President, she was responsible for resolving, responding, and assessing all student, staff, and faculty equity complaints.
Dr. Kumea Shorter-Gooden
Kumea Shorter-Gooden served as the first Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice President at the University of Maryland, College Park, from 2012 to 2016.