Jason Cooper

As Vice President of State and Federal Campaigns at The Clean Slate Initiative, Jason Cooper brings over two decades of executive leadership experience to drive policy transformation across the country.

His career embodies a steadfast commitment to building bipartisan coalitions to achieve meaningful criminal justice reform. This unique approach combines evidence-based thinking with strategic collaborative problem-solving, making him exceptionally effective at navigating complex policy landscapes and delivering measurable results.

Before joining The Clean Slate Initiative, Cooper served as a Senior Advisor to the City Manager and Police Chief of Cincinnati, where he directed the nationally-recognized Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence. There, he oversaw implementation of the city's landmark Collaborative Agreement—a comprehensive framework addressing police-community relations that has become a model for jurisdictions nationwide. Under his leadership, Cincinnati developed innovative cross-sector partnerships between health systems, law enforcement, and community organizations to address both immediate safety concerns and underlying social determinants of health.

His federal policy expertise was honed during his tenure at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), where he worked with senior staff at the U.S. Department of Justice to lead the national implementation of the $54 million Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program. As Program Director at LISC, he collaborated with officials from DOJ, HUD, Treasury, and HHS to align community safety strategies with economic development initiatives across 74 urban, rural, and tribal communities. This comprehensive approach yielded impressive results, with documented crime reductions of up to 41% in targeted areas.

The ability to bridge divides stems from earlier career experience in advocacy, where he directed successful campaigns on issues ranging from criminal justice reform to economic opportunity and civil rights. At organizations including the Pushback Network, People for the American Way Foundation, and the National LGBTQ Task Force, he built diverse coalitions spanning multiple states and developed training programs for emerging leaders from historically underrepresented communities.

Throughout his career, Cooper has consistently demonstrated that effective public safety requires more than enforcement alone—it demands holistic strategies that address housing, education, health, and economic opportunity. His work exemplifies how data-driven, collaborative approaches can transform neighborhoods of distress into areas of opportunity.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Social Change from Bentley University and an Innovation Training Certification from Johns Hopkins University. Based in Baltimore, he enjoys exploring Maryland's natural landscapes with his family when not advancing The Clean Slate Initiative's mission.