Scott Cooper is the Vice President of Strategy Advocacy at Peraton, responsible for the development, direction, and management of Peraton’s external engagement strategies with think tanks, Federally Funded R&D Centers, advocacy organizations, influencers, and experts, leading outreach, engagement, and strategic messaging.
He spent 20 years in the Marine Corps, serving as a Naval Flight Officer in the EA-6B aircraft and as a forward air controller. He deployed five times to Iraq, twice to Afghanistan, and once to the Far East, concluding his career commanding a squadron and serving as the speechwriter to the head of Marine Corps aviation.
After retirement, Scott joined Human Rights First, leading their national security work. Much of that effort focused on refugees, specifically the Special Immigrant Visa program that helps our wartime allies in Iraq and Afghanistan to find safety in America. He also founded Veterans for American Ideals, a grass-roots, community-based group of veterans working to bridge divides and regain a shared sense of national community.
He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a senior nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council. Scott holds a B.S. in political science from the U.S. Naval Academy, and an M.A. in international relations from the University of Maryland. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Maggie, who is a Professional Staff Member on the Senate Armed Services Committee. They both spend their spare time riding and tending to their horses, who reside in Rixeyville, VA.
