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OUR TEAM

 

Gary Leon is a New York City native and self-made businessman. Stemming from a Haitian cultural background, His rigorous work ethic is a characteristic instilled from his mother. From an early onset, Mr. Leon decided to be an entrepreneur. His first project within the community started in 2006 in NY. I wanted to do something so I used the resources from my T-shirt business and was able to help give money directly to the family of a young man who was killed. Partnering with a successful celebrity and their website we were able to run a nationwide  T-shirt campaign & directly impact his family financially.  

This inspired him to create The Cooperative Opportunity Project to provide opportunities to disenfranchised communities by bringing together small businesses and great projects.  He used personal revenue to fund many of his initial projects.  These programs consisted of business courses taught in group homes.  Mentorships for high school students, summer camps designed to provide pathways to entrepreneurship, food drives, and Christmas giveaways.  These are some examples of Gary’s hard work and dedication to uplift underserved communities.  Gary founded this nonprofit in April of 2020. Since then he has been able to run over 6 successful programs nationwide during the pandemic. He continues to be the leading representative of the coined phrase, “Ordinary people doing extraordinary things”.



Mesai Jeffrey-Coker is a business owner/entrepreneur with a passion for helping the youth of underserved communities. As the former Editor-in-Chief of a nationally distributed magazine & the current owner of a medical supply franchise, he has provided both mentorship and various internship opportunities to countless youth & young adults throughout the US. He has spoken at various Career Days in various public schools in the NYC area & served as an angel investor for numerous small businesses throughout the Tri-state area.
  
Hasani Edwards, a 2009 graduate of Binghamton University with a Bachelor's degree, is a dedicated and established Licensed Master of Social Worker. A native of Queens, New York, he currently works as an ABA Therapist and has cultivated a seasoned career providing therapeutic services to families, couples, individuals, and children within the New York City community for over ten years. His commitment to service began at the Broome County Urban League, where he mentored and guided middle and high school students, while also teaching IC3 computer program fundamentals to adults and youth, successfully facilitating hundreds of computer literacy certifications. Returning to his hometown, Hasani dedicated five years to the child welfare workforce, ensuring the safety and well-being of at-risk youth in disenfranchised communities. In 2015, he expanded his expertise by working with New York City’s geriatric population, where he focused on the safety and well-being of seniors facing long-term illnesses, facilitating the delivery of essential medical supplies and services. His observations of the challenges faced by both the elderly and youth have become a driving force, fueling his continued dedication to community work.

Zynah Brooks is an experienced educator who currently serves as an Assistant Principal to middle school scholars in Queens, NY. Currently she holds 15 years of experience in both elementary & middle school with the New York City Department of Education. Her work has spanned public & private sector. She is motivated by her love and passion for learning. Her aspiration is to create a safe space for all children to grow not only academically but emotionally & behaviorally. She believes that all students can learn when provided the appropriate tools. In addition, she believes in garnering the support of the community to help all students become globally ready civic minded members of society.  She is the proud mother of 2 amazing children who inspire her daily. She loves meeting new people & traveling. She is also a self-proclaimed Zumba aficionado
Lisa Parker works as a health care worker for over 25 years also serving as 
an evangelist is fulfilling because my mission is to help people of all areas
and walks of life. I have always been an advocate for providing not only
local health care but also the spiritual needs of my community. Overall, the
Cooperative Opportunity Project core foundations are fully aligned with my
unwavering dedication to address the concerns of the community and to
demonstrate an avid support system for those in need. I believe Community Partnership is important in underserved communities because it
allows us to engage, identify, and deal with the needs of the populations
with limited access to resources needed in the community. It also provides
a network of collaboration of individuals who can address and raise
concerns affecting the well-being of people in that area so that
assistance/resources can be provided to improve outcomes for individuals,
children, and families.

 

In June of 2020, Dorian Fuller joined the Human Resources Department of BNP Paribas USA to act as Head of Diversity Recruitment after spending nearly 4 years in the Firm’s Compliance Department. Over the last 16 years, Dorian has built his career leading Compliance teams at various premier financial institutions such as Deutsche Bank, Barclays, Bank of America, and RBC Capital Markets.

During his career, Dorian has been able to act upon his passion for Diversity and Inclusion at each of these institutions through his participation on employee resource group executive boards and/or diversity-focused initiatives.  As Head of Diversity Recruitment, Dorian is building upon this passion and his experience in developing corporate strategy and establishing effective control frameworks. In this role, Dorian develops and implements sustainable data-driven strategies for recruiting diverse talent. Dorian is also a member of the executive board of the African Heritage Employee Resource Group at BNP. Dorian holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Philosophy from St. John’s University and, in 2015, he earned a Master’s of Business Administration from the Johnson School of Business at Cornell University.

 Peggy Louis is a Lead Finance Associate for the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida. She also held positions in her home state of New York, She worked as the Executive Assistant to the Managing Director of the ISDA desk at Merrill Lynch where for over 10 years she was entrusted with highly sensitive International Swap sales information. Peggy has graduated from the Molloy College on Long Island, New York, and holds a dual degree in Business Administration and Sociology. Peggy is currently pursuing her MBA with a concentration in Organizational Psychology from Grand Canyon University. Peggy has many years of experience working in various sectors of business, However with all years of experience Peggy passion lays with helping the community, Peggy spent over 6 years working for the City of New York in the Department of Children Services where she assisted in implementing and helped create many programs to assist children that were in the foster care system. She wants to engage more with influential decision-making and public policy. She's open to challenges, conversations, and an exchange of ideas from the community in order to effect change where needed.

 

 

As a goal-oriented cybersecurity specialist, I am passionately driven to contribute to the evolving landscape of technology. Currently, I am focused on certifications, building a strong foundation for my future career. My journey into cybersecurity began during a six-month internship with Warner Media (formerly Turner Broadcasting) through the Year Up program, where I gained invaluable experience as a SOC (Security Operations Center) Analyst. This experience showed me the importance of giving back to your community and opportunity.  I am deeply committed to youth engagement, believing in the power of knowledge sharing and mentorship. I actively seek opportunities to share my experiences and insights, recognizing that learning is a reciprocal process, and that wisdom can be found in every individual. I firmly believe that practical experience is the most valuable teacher, and I am eager to continue to help young people get into the tech space.