Speaker Spotlight

Dan Cooper joined the Metropolitan Planning Council in 2018 as its Director of Research. Skilled in data and policy analysis, visualization, collaboration, and tactical research, he supports and assists research initiatives across of all of MPC's programs. Dan is also heavily involved in projects that promote water affordability across the Chicago area.

Before his tenure at MPC, Dan was the founding executive director for Alder University's Center for Equitable Cities. At Alder, he worked closely with other organizations in the region on a multitude of issues: housing and community development, community organizing, violence prevention, justice system reformation, and health equity.

Aside from his work in various organizations and agencies, Dan is also a co-author in The War on Neighborhoods: Policing, Prison, and Punishment in a Divided  City , published in 2018.

As a Senior Planner at CMAP, Nora has helped to shape a regional vision for water resources in the next regional comprehensive plan, ON TO 2050. She has led the agency's investigation of regional water issues through the development of the Regional Flood Susceptibility Index and ON TO 2050 Regional Water Demand Forecast. She manages a variety of projects that incorporate sustainability, stormwater management, and water supply planning in local plans. Nora received her Bachelor’s degree in Zoology and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan.