Haley Cooper

Haley Cooper is a graduate research assistant at Charlotte Urban Institute who supports the Impact, Data, and Evaluation Academy program.

As a community-engaged researcher and evaluator, Haley has partnered with nonprofit organizations across the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region to support program design, implementation and data-informed decision-making. In their research and praxis, Haley strives to leverage strengths-based approaches, apply intersectional frameworks, center lived experiences and facilitate systems thinking to promote community well-being.

Haley is a Midwest native who moved to Charlotte after graduating from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She completed a master’s degree in community psychology in 2023. Currently, Haley is a doctoral candidate in UNC Charlotte’s Health Psychology Ph.D. program with a concentration in Community Psychology. They are a R&B/Soul music connoisseur, “beginnermediate” yogi, and arts and crafts enthusiast.