Taikein Cooper

Taikein Cooper is the Executive Director of Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation, an organization that develops philanthropic resources and community relationships to improve student outcomes. Naturally curious and persistently innovative, Cooper has built a career on making a direct impact on his community. 

Born in historic Prince Edward County, one of the five counties in the Brown v. Board of Education case, Cooper witnessed the ramifications of inequity in public education due to legislation. Growing up in a place where over three-quarters of Black youth went without education for at least four years, Taikein made it his mission to mitigate the impacts of generational inequity for Virginia’s students. 

This passion led Taikein to pursue a degree in Public Policy at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, after which he became a substance abuse counselor. Through this grueling work, he learned how political decisions affect the social welfare of constituents. 

Taikein was driven to enhance his reach. In 2017, he helped to found Virginia Excels, an organization that builds community and government relationships to drive positive policy and funding decisions to benefit educators and students. To this day, the impact of his work can be seen throughout the Commonwealth. 

With an entrepreneurial spirit, Taikein has been instrumental in launching and revitalizing various organizations throughout his career. He possesses a talent for scaling up programming and achieving rapid revenue growth, complemented by a commitment to fostering a culture of high performance and collaboration among team members.

While professionally accomplished, Taikein remains deeply connected to his Virginia roots and embraces new experiences. In his free time, he can be found golfing, fishing, or traveling, in addition to enjoying the variety of great restaurants Richmond has to offer.

Taikein Cooper's exceptional leadership, dedication to educational equity, and substantial contributions to various sectors exemplify his commitment to driving positive change. With a focus on creating lasting impacts, he continues to be a driving force in the pursuit of educational excellence and social progress.