National Urban League Mourns the Passing of Longtime Urban Leaguer Maudine Cooper
NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE MOURNS THE PASSING OF FORMER GREATER WASHINGTON URBAN LEAGUE PRESIDENT & CEO MAUDINE COOPER
NEW YORK (November 13, 2023) – National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial issued the following statement in response to the passing of longtime Urban Leaguer Maudine Cooper:
“Maudine was a rare soul who devoted her life to the Urban League mission, whose leadership and inspirational spirit are unmatched.
“As a young attorney just two years out of Howard University, she joined the National Urban League’s Washington Bureau in 1973 as Assistant Director for Federal Programs, later rising to Vice President for Washington Operations.
“In the 1980s, she served in the administration of Mayor Marion Barry, Jr., in various senior leadership roles including Chief of Staff, returning in 1990 to the Urban League Movement as President and CEO of the Greater Washington Urban League where she would spend the rest of her remarkable career.
“Under her leadership, the Greater Washington Urban League more than doubled its program offerings and expanded its service area to Maryland in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County. She founded the award-winning young professionals auxiliary, The Thursday Network, which became a model for Urban League affiliates around the country.
“She was a mentor and role model to countless Urban League program participants, volunteers and staff, other affiliate CEOs, and to me personally. We feel her loss deeply and see her legacy in the strength and impact of the movement she served with such passion, tenacity, and wisdom. We offer our deepest condolences to her family and friends and the extended community of those whose lives she touched.”