At the conclusion of the November 3, 2020 election for the DeSoto ISD Board of Trustees, the residents of DeSoto re-elected Karen Daniel to her seat in Place 3 and Dr. Tiffany Clark to her seat in Place 4. Running unopposed, Abe Cooper was elected to Place 5 replacing former Trustee Aubrey C. Hooper who retired from his post in September of this year after nine and a half years of service.
A little bit about Trustee Cooper:
Abe Cooper Jr. was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Raised and surrounded by educators, Cooper attended Dallas ISD schools and graduated from South Oak Cliff High School in 1989 before going on to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree from Paul Quinn College.
Cooper followed in the footsteps of his parents and pursued a career in education serving as a Physical Education teacher at K. B. Polk Elementary Vanguard in Dallas ISD for 10 years. During that time, Cooper began his quest for personal and spiritual development and attended the Criswell College of Biblical Studies where he earned a Master of Arts in Christian Leadership in 2004.
In 2006, Cooper was enlisted to serve in full time ministry by the late Dr. Karry D. Wesley at the Antioch Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Dallas. Cooper now serves as Senior Pastor of Elijah Fellowship Community Church in Desoto.
Cooper is also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc, and serves as a board member for TEL International Missionary Society.
A DeSoto resident for more than 22 years, Cooper has been actively engaged in service to the DeSoto ISD school community by volunteering at Desoto West Middle School’s former Male Leadership Program and serving as the DeSoto Eagles Football team’s chaplain.
As an active member of the DeSoto community, Cooper plans to focus his work as a trustee on supporting organizational health and wellness with the goal of improving culture to enhance student learning.
Cooper is happily married to his wife, Dionne. The Coopers have two sons who attended DeSoto ISD schools.
Next Steps:
The DeSoto ISD Board of Trustees will host a Special Called Meeting for the Canvassing and Installation of the newly-elected trustees at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, 2020.
The meeting will be streamed live online here.
At 5 p.m., on Monday, November 16, 2020, the DeSoto ISD Board of Trustees will participate in a training session to be followed by the Regular Monthly Board Meeting at 6:30 pm.