Interview with Diana Cooper : Alumni Stories - Cooper, Diana; Adams, Lauren; Stanford Historical Society (Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program Interviews, 2021)
Diana Constance Cooper (AB English, 1980) shares memories of student life and academics at Stanford in the 1970s, including classroom experiences and struggling with dyslexia; dorm life; and Stanford traditions, such as Full Moon on the Quad and accompanying the Band to San Francisco. She also describes attending Stanford study abroad programs in England and Italy and reflects on what it was like to be a low-income student at Stanford.
Diana C. Cooper, PhD, retired in 2018 from her post as Sr. Lecturer at The Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. Her area of research was cross-cultural training of expatriate managers in transnational organizations. She has presented her research at academic conferences in the U.S., UK, Hungary, and Brazil. Dr. Cooper has traveled to 35 countries, intentionally living with families and working with local communities to experience cultural immersion. Ms. Cooper holds her doctorate in Organization Development from University of Minnesota, 2011; MBA from University of California, Irvine, 1986; and A.B. from Stanford University, Class of '80. Certificate in TESOL, 2017. Over the years, Dr. Cooper has led large-scale change initiatives in private and nonprofit organizations. In the 1980's she was a systems consultant for Accenture and J.D Edwards & Co. In the 1990's, she developed expertise in marketing, program development, and strategic planning in the university setting, launching Cooper Research LLC, in 2002. From 2009 - 2011, Ms. Cooper managed a large Department of Labor grant aimed at training programs for “green jobs" in Minnesota. In 2013, Dr. Cooper joined the team of trainers at the nonprofit WomenVenture, Minneapolis, MN, which offered micro loans to women-owned businesses. There she trained entrepreneurs to strategically grow their businesses. It's noteworthy that Ms. Cooper was a single mother for 15 years during her career from the time her two children were toddlers.
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Keywords: interview; Stanford University. Students -- 1976-1980; Universities and colleges; College students