Willia Cooper has worked as a training and development project manager, instructional designer and facilitator for over 25 years. She has worked in a variety of industries (banking, high tech, healthcare, utilities) in jobs ranging from directing the worldwide implementation of total quality management, directing training and continuous improvement, consulting to healthcare organizations and coaching potential leaders at a public health commission. In the fall of 2018, Willia became an ESC Fellow, serving as the Transition Navigator Coordinator for the Discovery Centers at ESC. In this role, she is responsible for working in partnership with five Councils on Aging, providing on-site and remote support to executive directors and their staff in the recruitment, selection, training and maintenance of Transition Navigators (TN). The TNs serve as local resources to individuals seeking volunteer guidance and placements.
On why Willia was interested in pursuing an ESC Fellowship, she said, “My interests and career experiences/personal values are interrelated. I love helping adults engage in meaningful learning whether it’s in person or virtually.”
Prior to joining ESC as a fellow, Willia spent the last 15 years of her career as a project manager and senior training specialist at Staples, Inc. She has volunteered as a board member for Specialized Housing, which provides supportive housing for adults with intellectual, developmental and related disabilities) and as a conversational English facilitator at English at Large. Through her work at Staples, she volunteered at Cradles to Crayons, a nonprofit that provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive – at home, at school and at play.
