Our Team
Executive Director
Mary-Ann Baldwin
Mary-Ann Baldwin, Executive Director of The Cooper Charitable Foundation, has a long story of serving non-profits and advocating for causes such as housing affordability, transit, and innovation and entrepreneurship.
Mary-Ann started her career as a journalist after graduating from the University of Rhode Island, her home state. In the past, she has served as a marketing and communications professional in the health care, engineering, construction and legal fields, as well as professional sports. She also served as Executive Director of the Carolina Hurricanes Kids ‘n Community Foundation and the Holt Brothers Foundation, which supports children who have a parent with cancer.
Additionally, she has served on a number of non-profit boards including Artsplosure, Communities in Schools of Wake County, the Wake Tech Foundation and the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, as well as on the Board of Trustees at GoTriangle and William Peace University.
Mary-Ann’s passion for positive change led her to co-found two non-profits: Youth Thrive, which was dedicated to student success, and Innovate Raleigh, which served as a catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurship in our region.
Now as the Executive Director of the Cooper Charitable Foundation, Mary-Ann continues her mission to make a meaningful impact. Her leadership is a driving force behind the foundation’s commitment to supporting initiatives that enhance the quality of life for individuals and communities in North Carolina.
Our Board
Founder
John Cooper
John Cooper is the president of Cooper Tacia General Contracting Company, the founder of the Cooper Charitable Foundation, an active board member of the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors and the former chair of Haven House Services board of directors, a non-profit whose mission is to keep youth safe, supported and successful.
Raised in Sanford, NC, Cooper attended North Carolina State University from where he graduated with an engineering degree in construction management. His entrepreneurial spirit, discipline and determination led him to become a successful business owner while in parallel, his background and family heritage made him a natural philanthroper and a community leader.
If you meet John, you will soon find yourself smiling or laughing. His chihuahua pug Fred will most likely be around, and they will be both looking sharp and doing cool things to make people’s lives better.
Board Member
Mary Pierce
Mary is the Executive VP of Accounting and Corporate Controller of Cooper Tacia Industries, Inc. In her position she oversees the accounting and human resource departments of not just the general contracting company, but all the sister companies as well.
As an executive level vice president, Mary is part of the senior leadership team that sets direction and goals for her organization. Her strong construction accounting experience and expertise in Federal and municipal level contracts as well as all things insurance make her an invaluable asset to the success of the company.
Board Member
Stacie Deluca
A daughter of a single mother, Stacie has always known the strength of a mother’s love. Inspired by her childhood and her mother’s struggles and successes as a single parent, Stacie quickly developed a deep empathy and passion for helping other women and their families. She attributes her life’s progression to the compassion and kindness that others have shown her along the way and lives by the motto “pay it forward”. Stacie graduated from Virginia Tech in 2010 with a BS in Management. She provides support to our Cooper Charitable Foundation team while residing with her family in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She is eager to find ways in which Cooper Charitable Foundation can help set up mothers and children for successful and happy futures.
Board Member
Stefanie Empie
Growing up in a single parent, low-income household for most of her life, Stefanie learned early on how the generosity and kindness of others can impact a life. From grants that allowed her to experience extracurricular activities, to a friend’s parents who welcomed her along to life shaping events not normally accessible to her, to even the small gesture of a free week of transportation to her first job, Stefanie attributes much of her personal and professional success to the compassion of others. “The kindness of others changed the trajectory of my life by giving me an opportunity to see beyond my circumstances. It motivated me to work hard, always have a great appreciation for those who help others and to do what I can to pay it forward”. She is honored and eager to serve on the board of the Cooper Charitable Foundation where she hopes to continue to do just that. Stefanie lives in Virginia Beach with her family where they love to spend time seeking out new adventures together. Professionally, Stefanie has worked over 16 years at a national company in various roles, most recently as an Organizational Development Manager.
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