Josephine S. Cooper

Josephine S. (Jo) Cooper is chief executive of Josephine Cooper LLC, a Washington-based consulting firm which provides crisis management, public affairs and communications services to companies, trade associations and individuals. For almost seven years, she served as group vice president for public policy and government/industry affairs for Toyota North America, playing a leadership role in public policy advances initiated by the Japanese automaker and the auto industry. In September 2010, Ms. Cooper retired from Toyota and now leads her own consulting firm.

Prior to joining Toyota in 2004, Ms. Cooper served for five years as president and chief executive officer of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a coalition of car and light truck manufacturers dedicated to improving vehicle safety and environmental progress. From 1992 to 1999, Ms. Cooper was vice president for regulatory affairs at the American Forest & Paper Association, and also served as senior vice president at the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association,  managing policy development for 25 affiliated chemical trade associations. As a business leader, Ms. Cooper co-founded Capitoline International Group, Ltd., a Washington, D.C. public affairs firm. She also established an international environmental and energy practice at Hill and Knowlton, Inc., where she created a global consulting network.  Ms. Cooper's broad policy expertise includes positions on Capitol Hill and in several positions at the US Environmental Protection Agency.