Security assistance chief makes success fashionable

Photo By Kimberley Capehart | David Cooper, Security Assistance Command central case manager for EUCOM/AFRICOM Regional Operations Directorate, is known for his leadership and style.  

HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, UNITED STATES

05.10.2018

Courtesy Story

U.S. Army Security Assistance Command

Before moving into a newly renovated building in May, the office complex and warehouse occupied by the Security Assistance Command’s New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, office could easily be described as visually plain and boring. However, the same can’t be said for the employees that work there.

Most notably, David Cooper, chief of USASAC’s EUCOM/AFRICOM Central Case Management Division, has injected a splash of fashion and plenty of positive attitude into the organization for the past eight years.

"Dave Cooper is a great example of how USASAC and AMC develop people,” Col. Mike Morton, director of USASAC’s EUCOM/AFRICOM Regional Operations Directorate, said. “He works at being an adaptive leader, has taken advantage of workforce training opportunities, and most importantly, he reinforces our efforts to professionalize the workforce.”

The success Cooper has achieved in his relatively short career seems to validate Morton’s claims. Starting out as a baseline logistics management specialist, Cooper now manages 51 people that have executed over 2,300 foreign military sales cases with 83 partner countries. Throughout his time at USASAC and in the DOD circuit, Cooper has been awarded “Employee of the Quarter” twice and received multiple awards and recognitions from partner countries because of his determination and talent.

“FMS case execution is where the ‘rubber hits the road,’” Morton said. “Once we have acceptance of a case, we enter the execution phase of requisitions, logistics, sustainment, etc. Dave has high standards, both professionally and personally. He expects himself and his staff to get the job done for each and every one of our EUCOM/AFRICOM partners’ cases, and he walks the talk, whether it is through maintaining high morale, being persistent, or by providing on-the-spot leadership.”

Cooper has long been known for his unique sense of fashion and desire to dress well. Co-workers might describe his fashion sense as “very sharp” or “polished,” and that’s not a problem in his eyes.

“I’ve always considered myself to be flamboyant,” Cooper said. “Growing up as a kid that didn’t have much, I always looked forward to income tax time so that we could go out and get a new pair of shoes. My passion for dressing nicely and developing a reputation for being one of the best dressed in the workplace is an honor to me.”

But for Cooper, fashion is about much more than his appearance. He sees his sense of fashion as a bi-product of his fervent pursuit of progress and positive results.

“Throughout my teenage years, I always said that I would reverse my fortune. (My sense of fashion) is a reflection of hard work and commitment to converting goals into reality,” he said. “Also, in the grander scheme of things, it’s setting the tone as a true professional; not just saying the right things, but leading by example as well.”

Despite his professional success, Cooper is most proud of his role as a father. “Anyone that truly knows me, they know how blessed I am to call myself a father,” he said. “If I wanted to highlight one thing in my life at this point, it’d be to let the world know that I am a proud father of three wonderful children. The principle I’ve adopted is to excel at everything I touch … above all, the one thing I cannot afford to get wrong is fatherhood.”

Whether mentoring employees, interacting with partner countries, developing talent retention strategies, or teaching his 3-year-old son to have polite manners, Cooper pursues life wholeheartedly and is on a mission to make success fashionable.

“At USASAC, people are our strategic advantage,” Morton said. “Dave and the EUCOM/AFRICOM case management staff are strengthening relationships with and enabling strategic readiness for our international partners. But they are also helping the command evolve forward by bringing in new ideas and motivation for the next generation of USASAC employees.”

• Date Taken: 05.10.2018
• Date Posted: 01.30.2019 15:41
• Story ID: 308858
• Location: HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, US