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Alumna Award 2002

Congratulations Joli Cooper!

Joli Cooper, President and CEO of Cooper Nelson & Associates, received the 2002 "Kathleen McDonald Distinguished Alumna Award" for outstanding personal and professional achievements. Cooper, a 1988 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, is the 6th recipient of the award presented each year by the Wharton Women in Business (WWIB) student-run organization. The award was presented during a luncheon at the annual Wharton Women in Business Conference on November 1, 2002 at the Park Hyatt in Philadelphia.

Named in memory of the late Kathleen McDonald, a Wharton alumna and founder of the Graduate Women in Business Network, the award recognizes distinguished Wharton alumnae who have demonstrated professional success and who serve as role models for women in business. Candidates for the award are nominated by the Wharton community. A WWIB electing committee reviews the nominees and selects the winner based on professional excellence, career success, community involvement, advocacy of women's issues and personal pursuits. Over thirty nominees were considered for this year's award.

"Joli Cooper's business and community leadership, coupled with her balance of career, family, and personal interests, are truly outstanding and an inspiration to us all," said Dulany Dent, then co-alumnae liaison for the Wharton Women in Business. "She is extremely deserving of this award and it has been our pleasure in selecting her."

"I am extremely honored to have been selected for this prestigious award," said Cooper. "I especially appreciate the work that the Wharton Women in Business is doing to encourage supportive environments for women in business and to create networking opportunities between current students and alumnae."

Cooper received the distinguished alumni award on the same day that she announced her transition from Corporate America to start a marketing consulting practice. Most recently, Cooper held the position of senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Vitality Foodservice, Inc. in Tampa. She previously served as president and chief operating officer of Pasco Brands, Inc., the retail division of parent-company Vitality Beverages, Inc., where she transformed the financial performance and corporate culture for both the retail and foodservice divisions. She had also been vice president of marketing with Pasco Brands (formerly Lykes Consumer Brands, Inc.).

Before joining Pasco Brands, Cooper was as a director of marketing and sales at Tropicana Products/Joseph E. Seagram, where she held a number of positions in Bradenton, Florida, as well as assignments in the United Kingdom and South America during her five-year tenure with the company. Prior to that, she worked in various marketing roles for Nestle USA in Glendale, California. She also has experience with the former Bankers Trust Company of New York (acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1999) and Aetna Life & Casualty Insurance Company of Philadelphia.

Cooper earned her undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Notre Dame and completed her MBA from The Wharton School. She and her husband, Anthony Nelson, reside in Tampa with their three children, Ashley, Alana, and Anthony.