Black Parent Initiative Announces Tara Cooper Has Been Hired as New CEO

The board of directors of the Black Parent Initiative announced Monday that it has appointed Tara Cooper as its new CEO.

The organization says Cooper has signed a 12-month contract for the role and has stepped down from a prior role as director of equity, diversity and inclusion at the graduate school of education at Portland State University.

“The BPI board of directors is confident that Ms. Cooper's professional experience, coupled with her strong interpersonal communication skills, strategic thinking and her deep understanding of BPI and its current challenges and opportunities make her the perfect leader for the organization,” says an announcement released by the organization Monday.

Cooper replaces Dr. Ann Beckett, who replaced interim CEO Chuck Smith in March.

In February Smith was appointed to replace CEO and founder Charles McGee, who was fired in February following allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault. McGee, along with former Oregon Housing Stability Council chair Aubre Dickson, was indicted on May on charges related to an alleged sexual assault. McGee’s bail was reduced last month.

McGee founded the Black Parent Initiative, which provides culturally specific services to Black families and children, in 2006.

View BPI's full announcement here.