James Cooper

James Cooper began his career more than 33 years ago as the Director of Information Technology at The Brooks School in Andover, Massachusetts. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he transitioned into senior financial and operational leadership roles at several independent schools, including serving as Director of Finance and Operations at The Archer School for Girls in Brentwood, Business Manager at The Walden School, and Chief Financial Officer at Sequoyah School in Pasadena. James currently serves as Chief Financial Officer at Randolph School in Huntsville, Alabama.

James has been deeply involved in advancing the work of independent school business offices nationwide. He has served on the Board of Directors of the National Business Officers Association (NBOA) and the California Independent Schools Business Office Association (Cal-ISBOA), where he also chaired the Statistics Committee. He is currently serving on the Governance Committee of the Mid-South Independent School Business Officers (MISBO) and is a member of the Association of Business Officers in Independent Schools (ABOIS), where he served as Chair of the organization. In addition, James has contributed to numerous National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) task forces and has served on multiple California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) accreditation teams.

James holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, an MBA, M.Ed., and a Graduate Certificate in Business Leadership for Independent Schools from Johns Hopkins University.

Beyond the business office, James has coached varsity football and taught Computer Science and Senior Ethics. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing golf and flag football, and serving underrepresented communities.