Damion Cooper

Organization: Project Pneuma

Role: I am the Founder and Executive Director of Project Pneuma, which is a holistic program to assist boys of color who are having challenges in grades 4-8 as it relates to impulse actions and trauma being barriers to their educational and life success. Project Pneuma also partners with the Baltimore City Police Department and is a reform program under the federal Consent Decree, to change the narrative that young males of color cannot coexist with Police Officers. Professionally I am the Director of Neighborhood Relations for the City Council President.

Community Contribution: I’m a volunteer with many of the Baltimore City Schools as a speaker, mentor, and resident “Dad”. I serve on my church’s HIV/AIDS Ministry and I am Co-chair of the Men’s Ministry. I volunteer at the prisons in Baltimore City to assist the men in the pre-release (3 years or less) unit. I serve with Goodwill as a mock interviewer for the Workforce Development Program. I recently started teaching self-defense to communities, my church, and MICA. And I was previously the co-facilitator of a Boys Storytelling Program to build cultural competencies between African American and Jewish boys.

Family: I am the super proud dad of 3 amazing children. Alexis is 20 and a sophomore at the University of New Haven. She’s a Marine Biology Major and Cheerleader. Nigel is 15 and a freshman at Gilman. He’s on the basketball team and ranked 10th nationally in chess. Nevaeh is 13 and an 8th grader at Cross Country Elementary Middle School. She’s a member of the National Academic League, Debate Team, and Basketball Team.

Hobbies & Interests: I’m an avid reader. I keep a book with me wherever I go. I’ve been a martial artist all of my life and competed nationally. I love yoga, mindfulness, and meditation. I’m a man of great Faith. My life goes like this: 1. My Faith 2. My Family 3. My Finances. I don’t deviate.

Birth Location: Baltimore, MD

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