The Cooper Foundation Elects New Board Members

The Cooper Foundation (cooperfoundation.org) elected Connie Duncan and Tyre J. “T.J.” McDowell, Jr. to its board of trustees at the December board meeting.

Duncan is a member of the Lincoln Public Schools Board of Education representing District 2. She was a special education teacher for LPS for 17 years followed by four years as a retention specialist for Learn to Dream at Southeast Community College. Duncan now works part-time for Nebraska Children and Families Foundation as vice president of philanthropy and is director of her family’s foundation, Duncan Family Trust. She is also a board member of Humanities Nebraska, Lincoln Community Foundation and Lutheran Family Services.

T.J. McDowell, Jr. is vice president for Campus Community at Nebraska Wesleyan University. Before joining Wesleyan, McDowell was graduation initiative coordinator for LPS, executive director of the Clyde Malone Community Center, program manager at Community Health Endowment, executive director of Lighthouse, and director of education outreach at the Lincoln Action Program. He is a board member for the Child Advocacy Center and Nebraskans for Civic Reform, is president of the Community Justice Center, and is secretary of the NAACP-Lincoln Branch.