Frances Huntley-Cooper
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Frances Huntley-Cooper is the former mayor of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, and was the first African American mayor elected to office in the state of Wisconsin.[1] She was elected on April 2, 1991, and served from 1991 to 1993.[2][3]
She is serving as an elected board of trustees member and board chair with Madison Area Technical College, where she is serving her third appointment.
Frances Huntley-Cooper is a 1973 graduate from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Services. She then graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, in 1974, where she received a Masters of Science Degree in Social Work. She returned to the La Follette Institute and completed her Masters of Arts in Public Policy and Administration in August 1994.
Career
Huntley-Cooper had a 28-year career in social services as a social work supervisor for the Dane County Department of Human Services working with children, youth and families. Huntley-Cooper was appointed by Governor James Doyle to work the in Department of Workforce Development under Secretary Roberta Gassman. Frances assumed administrator of Wisconsin Worker's Compensation Division on February 24, 2003 – December 31, 2010.
In September 2003, Huntley-Cooper was elected as a member-at-large to serve on the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC). Huntley-Cooper served as chair of EDI (Electronic data interchange) Council since first elected 2005–2008. She was a member of the Council of Committee Chairs. In September 2007, she was elected to serve as vice president of the IAIABC. In September 2009, she was installed as the international president of IAIABC.[4]
Community service
Huntley-Cooper is actively involved in community organizations in Madison, Wisconsin. She is a charter member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority – Kappa Psi Omega chapter – and served as president from 2009 to 2012. She is on the board for the Capital City Hues newspaper. She has been honored as a YWCA Women of Distinction.[5] Huntley-Cooper is also a recipient of Wisconsin Women in Government, Inc. - Woman of Achievement.[6] Additionally, Huntley-Cooper served four years as president of the Madison branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Huntley-Cooper is a 3-year breast cancer survivor and an active member of Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.