Keith Winston Cooley

Background

Cooley, Keith Winston was born on October 7, 1945 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Son of Roy Van and Hyacinth Isolen Cooley.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics, University of Michigan, 1967;

Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering, University of Michigan, 1972.

Keith was first African-American gymnast to compete in the sport at the University of Michigan and was a valued member of the 1966 Big Ten Championship team. For that he was honored this year as the Big Ten Network’s 2024 B1G Impact Pioneer.

Career

Retired 2025 - Present

President and CEO, Principia, LLC; Management Consulting 2010-2024

President and CEO, NextEnergy 2008-2010

Director Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth (DLEG) 2007 - 2008

Chief Operating Officer/Chief Executive Officer, Focus: HOPE 2002-2007

Director, International Telematic Sales, GM Account, Motorola Corp. 2001-2002

President & CEO, Principia, Inc. Change Management and Leadership Consulting 1997-2001

Engineering /Program Manager/ Strategic Planning, General Motors 1972-1997

Director, Minority Engineering Projects Office, University of Michigan 1969-1972

Reactor Physicist, Knolls Atomic Power Lab, General Electric 1968-1969

Achievements

• Lead investigator for the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research’s study of automotive decarbonization & worker bias. This study looked at the impact of deep decarbonization on the motor vehicle industry, African American workers, and associated low-income communities as the country migrates from our present fossil fuel-intensive ecosystem.
  
  Led the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy (DRFC) to a new 10-year strategic plan emphasizing educational advantages of environmental stewardship and sustainable practices along Detroit’s iconic riverfront. It has been named Best Riverfront in the U.S. from 2021-2023
  
  o Clean Energy Performance: Examples of project successes include oversight of:
  
  • Electrical power control & conditioning; 20% reduction in diesel fuel consumption (DoD)
  
  • Military camp waste to electric power; 2,400 lbs. of trash to 30 kW of power (DoD)
  
  • Modular reforming reactor capable of converting various gasified product streams into hydrogen rich syngas (Teamed with DoE, National Energy Technology Laboratory & Univ. of Mich.)
  
  Work to communicate the value of NextEnergy assets afforded me opportunities to:
  
  • Advise (French Presidential candidate) François Hollande on U.S./global energy trends
  
  • Advise U.S. Congressman Peter Hoekstra as he considered a Michigan gubernatorial run
  
  • Host Vice President Biden’s $1.3 billion award announcement for vehicle electrification
  
  State’s seminal training program, “No Worker Left Behind” (NWLB) and its success preparing Michigan’s unemployed and underemployed workforce for high-demand jobs. In spite of insufficient funding from the state legislature, NWLB trained 37,725 individuals, an 11% increase over the 34,000 trainees initially projected.
  
  Led internal investigation regarding boiler inspector scheme to defraud Korean dry cleaner operators out of thousands of dollars. I personally apologized to the Korean community, made changes to DLEG operational standards, and instituted cultural sensitivity training. The Korean community thanked me and apprised President Obama of the incident.
  
  Upgraded workforce safety/health systems leading to 2 Gold, 3 Silver and 1 Bronze award from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration for accident reduction.
  
  Led Motorola sales and strategy activities focused on General Motor’s OnStar product across U.S. and European operations.
  
  Guided Focus: HOPE’s efforts to become the 1st large nonprofit certified to International Standards Organization regulations in Assembly, Manufacturing, and Environmental Management.
  
  Built and led consulting team that guided Detroit’s Latino Family Services nonprofit to meet tough operational standards for Federal healthcare certification (JCAHO) enhancing their reputation and assuring that critical foundation and government funding streams remained intact.
  
  Directed a successful international dispute resolution intervention between Italian Automaker Pininfarina and Cadillac Motor Car, driving improved workforce relations, higher customer ratings and a four-fold increase in vehicle quality.
  
  Advocated for and won UAW permission to work the manufacturing floor at GM assembly facilities to understand workforce challenges. This effort evolved into a union/management assembly line “jeans day” coalition whereby executives got first hand experience on assembly line challenges.
  
  Developed and implemented the University’s first successful program to identify, attract retain and graduate engineering students of color, women and those physically challenged. The program continued to assist minorities and women for over 40 years.
  
  Led a team of technical specialists assembling and testing fully operational nuclear reactor prototypes for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and the U.S. Navy.
  
  Keith Winston Cooley listed as a noteworthy engineering executive by Marquis Who's Who.
  
  

Membership

Organizer, member Schenectady Anti-Polarization Group, 1968. Presenter, mentor Detroit/Mount Clemens (Michigan) Public Schools, 1974-1989. President, board directors Deaf, Hearing, and Speech Centers, United Way, since 1996, Detroit Institute Ophthalmology, since 1997.

Chief operating officer Fous: Health Opportunities for People Everywhere, Deroit, Michigan, since 2002. Member Engineering Society Detroit, University Michigan College Engineering Alumni Society (board directors 1991-1993), Tau Beta Pi (Eminent engineer 1989).

Personality

Keith is married, lives in Detroit, Michigan, and has four children and eight grandchildren. In his leisure time, he enjoys reading, running, biking, and practicing Tai Chi.

Connections

Father: Roy Van Cooley

Mother: Hyacinth Isolen Cooley

Spouse: Ivey Jeane Leftwich October 18, 1968 - February 1977.

Child: Brett Winston Cooley

Child: Todd Lloyd Cooley

Spouse: Yvonne Anola Smiley May 21, 1977 - September 30 2009

Child: Ross Allyn Cooley

Child: Erin Blair Cooley

Spouse: Deirdre Ann West April 11, 2010 - Present