Amy Cooper, who has played a prominent role in St. Thomas’ transition to NCAA Division I, will become the athletic director at Augsburg, Augsburg announced Friday.
Cooper, senior associate athletic director at St. Thomas, will begin her duties at Augsburg on June 1. Cooper will succeed Jeff Swanson, who will move to a special role in Augsburg’s office of the president at the end of May.
“After a nationwide search for our next athletic director, we could not be more pleased to welcome Amy Cooper to the Auggie athletics family,” Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow said in a news release. “With experience as a student-athlete, coach and administrator, Amy is a seasoned leader who has operated at every level of NCAA athletics. Most importantly, she grounds her expertise in a deep commitment to ensuring that every student-athlete, regardless of background, has the opportunity to succeed.”
Cooper has been at St. Thomas since 2021 and has led the university’s transition to NCAA Division I by overseeing compliance, financial operations and gender equity. She also has held administration responsibility for baseball, women’s basketball, women’s tennis and volleyball.
Before St. Thomas, Cooper worked in athletic administration at Howard University and Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has also held soccer coaching positions at South Carolina State, Southwest Minnesota State and Prairie View A&M.
Cooper is a graduate of Minneapolis Washburn and Howard University. As a member of the Howard soccer team, she was an All-Big South Conference selection.
She holds a master’s degree in education from Prairie View A&M. Earlier this year, she received the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award from the Minnesota Coalition of Women in Athletic Leadership.
