Founder and Executive Director Barry Cooper
Barry Cooper (known to many as Coach Coop) is an educator with more than a decade supporting young men of color. Barry founded The B.R.O. Experience Foundation in 2020 to expand his work in closing the Black male mental health gap.
In a career dedicated to youth development, Barry has served as Dean and Director of Culture at Eagle Academy for Young Men, taught at CUNY Fatherhood Academy as an adjunct Life and Wellness Educator, and has mentored formerly incarcerated youth through the New York Department of Probation. He has been Vice-Chair of the Brooklyn NAACP Educational Committee and has run for local office. His books include “The Provider: a Guide for Co-Parenting Dads” and a forthcoming children’s book.
The B.R.O. Experience stands for Brothers Redefining Opportunity, and with his team, Barry is constantly discovering new ways to engage and develop young men of color to build strong leaders of tomorrow.
Meet the Team
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Barry Cooper
Founder & Executive Director
Teacher, author, organizer, and public speaker with over a decade in youth and fatherhood education
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Vanessa Clarke (LMSW)
Social Work Innovation Officer
Adjunct Lecturer at CUNY Medgar Evers College, Therapist at The Jewish Board
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Anecia Henry
Program Coordinator – The BRO Space, The BRO Project
MSW Candidate, Fordham Graduate School of Social Services
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Jacob Gordon
Development and Communications Director
Tech founder and CMO, former environmental journalist
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Trent Orange
Lead BRO X facilitator & Director of Little BRO Summer Camp programming
Graduate of The B.R.O. Experience
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Brian Equinda
Executive Coordinator
MSW Candidate, Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College
MBA, SUNY Binghamton
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Williams Guerrier
Lead Facilitator
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Darnell Bowers
Co-Facilitator
Board of Directors
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Wilona Chambers
Board Chair
VP Market Manager at Valley Bank
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Joanna Clinton
Board Treasurer
Director, NYC Department of Youth and Community Development
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Cydney Bowers
Certified Physician Assistant with 34 years experience serving community organizations
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Jason Starr
Board Member
Inaugural Director of Litigation at the Human Rights Campaign
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Cabrie Kearns
Board Member
Chief of Staff, Harold Grinspoon Foundation
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Meka Nurse
Board Secretary
Senior Director, Aging Connect at NYC Department for the Aging
Meet our Supporters
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Spark Youth NYC
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Brooklyn District Attorney's Office
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The van Ameringen Foundation
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MetLife Foundation
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The Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabalization Fund (NY City Council & NY Urban League)
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The Pinkerton Foundation
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Capital One Bank
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Office of State Assembly-member Stefani Zinerman
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Office of City Council-member Chi Ossé
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NEW YORK STATE SENATOR Jabari Brisport 25TH SENATE DISTRICT
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Office of BK Borough President Antonio Reynoso
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Hunter College – Silberman School of Social Work
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Fordham University School of Social Service
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Community Donors Like You!
What is transformational education?
