Now the head of University web communications, John Cooper began creating websites for the University of Pittsburgh while still a senior at Pitt, developing the University’s first alumni relations website in 1994. After earning his bachelor’s degree in English writing in 1995, he joined what is now called University Communications and Marketing, where he helped launch many of Pitt’s earliest institutional websites, including the first Pitt marketing site; early versions of pitt.edu; and sites for numerous schools, departments and administrative units.
As the need for digital communications grew, Cooper helped to build and expand UCM’s web services team, which he has led since its inception. Over his 30-year career at Pitt, he has guided thousands of web and online communications projects supporting strategic marketing initiatives, major University events, institutional priorities, and crisis response.
A second-generation Pitt graduate, Cooper began attending football games at Pitt Stadium, where his father once played, before he could walk. While he has spent most of his life on or around campus, he also enjoys traveling with his wife, visiting his son in Florida, and following his daughters’ soccer teams.
