Nicole M. Cooper has been named Head of Healthcare Policy for Lyft.
Prior to Lyft, Cooper served as Vice President of Social Responsibility at UnitedHealthcare, a division of UnitedHealth Group – No. 5 on the Fortune 500 list. Cooper leads national signature partnerships and local social investment strategies to bolster UnitedHealthcare’s social impact across the US.
In this role, Cooper oversaw corporate philanthropic grant-making and employee volunteer programs focused on addressing access to care and the social determinants of health for underserved communities. She is also a member of the executive UnitedHealthcare Inclusion and Diversity Council.
Prior to joining UnitedHealthcare, Cooper was an Obama administration political appointee and part of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) team responsible for implementation of the Affordable Care Act. At HHS, Cooper served as a policy advisor to key leaders in the agency, including the Chief of Staff at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health.
Cooper holds a Bachelor’s degree from Spelman College, a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from the University of Michigan and a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree from Harvard University.
