Karl Cooper

Karl D. Cooper, Esq. (he/him) is an attorney and disability advocate. As a person with his own disabilities, he has spent most of his professional career addressing the needs of individuals with disabilities. Effective June 1, 2023, Karl was selected to be Executive Director of AAHD. Previously, he served as Director of Public Health Programs at AAHD, overseeing a number of projects which conduct outreach in the disability community to engage them in public health initiatives.

He started at AAHD in October 2013, working as the Project Manager for the National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC). Prior to moving to DC in 2012, he practiced law for 14 years in the greater Philadelphia area where he was able to devote time to pro-bono advocacy for those affected by physical and developmental disabilities. In addition to his work with AAHD, Karl is a member of NIH’s National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research.

He is also an active member of the American Public Health Association (APHA) having served as the Chair of the Disability Section from 2020-2022, and currently he is the APHA Intersectional Council Chair and member of the APHA Executive Board. Karl received his law degree from Villanova University School of Law in 1997 and a BA in Communications/Political Science from Cedarville University in 1994.