GREENVILLE, SC – Upstate Forever announced that Andrea Cooper has been selected as the new Executive Director of Upstate Forever. Cooper, who lived in the Charleston area for the past 20 years, was a key leader in the “GrowFood Carolina” initiative, which has significantly expanded the market for local food along the coast. She also served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, a regional nonprofit organization similar to Upstate Forever. With her husband and two children, Cooper recently moved to Greenville and will start work in early October.
Cooper said, “I am honored and enthusiastic to lead this great organization and to build upon its remarkable success. I strongly support Upstate Forever’s position that we can have it both ways—we can prosper both economically and environmentally. But we have to be proactive to achieve this goal.”
Cooper will succeed Brad Wyche, who founded Upstate Forever in 1998 and has served at its Executive Director since then. Wyche will remain actively involved as a senior advisor. “The organization will be in great hands with Andrea at the helm,” Wyche said. “I look forward to working with her.”
The selection of Cooper is the culmination of a national search that lasted for more than four months and included several highly qualified candidates, explained Brice Hipp, Upstate Forever Board chair. “The future looks bright for our organization: We have an extraordinary Board and staff, we have a broad base of members and supporters who make our work possible, Brad will stay involved, and Andrea will undoubtedly do a terrific job,” Hipp said.
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