Tori Cooper

Tori Cooper is a health and equity consultant, community organizer, educator, published author, and leader in the transgender and HIV communities. With more than 30 years of experience in HIV service, from volunteer roles to serving as executive director and founder of Advocates for Better Care Atlanta, LLC, Cooper has focused her career on advocacy for underserved populations. Her early work included adapting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program "Sister to Sister" to address the needs of transgender women, establishing her career at the intersection of public health, equity, and social justice.

Cooper founded Advocates for Better Care Atlanta, LLC, a consulting firm dedicated to educating and empowering marginalized communities, with a particular emphasis on transgender individuals and those living with HIV. Before joining the Human Rights Campaign, she worked as a consultant and prevention specialist at Positive Impact Health Centers in Atlanta, providing HIV care to transgender people and other marginalized groups. As the Human Rights Campaign's director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, Cooper focuses on economic empowerment, capacity building, public safety, and public education campaigns. She holds a master's degree in public health.

Cooper became the first out Black transgender woman and Human Rights Campaign staff member to serve on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). In this role, she advocates for policy changes addressing health disparities, including stigma, health care access, and the need for trans-competent providers. Cooper highlights the high rates of HIV among Black transgender women and promotes comprehensive, inclusive health care solutions.

Her work has been recognized by POZ Magazine as one of the top 100 Black advocates and by The Advocate as one of its Advocates of the Year. OUT Georgia named her among the most influential LGBTQ Georgians. Cooper is featured in the documentary "Silent Epidemic," where she discusses the transgender community and HIV in the South. She also created Hour of Power, an empowerment group for the trans and gender nonconforming communities and allies. Cooper's experience and national recognition position her as a leading voice in health equity, HIV prevention, and transgender justice.