MERRI-ANN COOPER, PHD

8348 North Brook Lane • Bethesda, MD 20814

(301) 801-7785 •

CONSULTANT
Organization Assessment & Change / Competency Development / Program Evaluation /
Surveys / Test Development & Validation
Highly accomplished consultant and partner to executive teams in guiding organiz
ations and personnel through dynamic change, business process reengineering, and
operational streamlining initiatives that improve performance, reduce costs, an
d enhance communications. Leverages impeccable educational credentials and 20+ y
ears’ experience driving organization assessments and change. Rapidly evaluates, dia
gnoses, and resolves issues that diminish a company’s internal and external effectiv
eness.
Serves as a critical business partner, strategist, change agent, and facilitator
in strengthening organizational effectiveness, and improving the ability to dev
ise, introduce, and manage change. Engages a highly collaborative approach in wo
rking with high-ranking executives to identify root causes of pervasive issues,
analyze organization structures, processes, and communications. Devises strategi
c and tactical plans that produce desired outcomes.
Clients include:
NIH/NIAID• The World Bank • U.S. Department of State • Environmental Protection Agency
NASA • U.S. Department of Education • FBI • Corporation for National and Community Serv
A
Edison Electric Institute • Office of Personnel Management • FDA • National Security Ag

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
MERRI-ANN COOPER, INC. – Bethesda, MD 2000-Present
Independent Consultant
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE – College Park, MD 2001-2004
Associate Professor (Adjunct)
BOOZ∙ALLEN & HAMILTON – McLean, VA 1998-1999
Senior Associate
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CORPORATION – Bethesda, MD 1988-1997
Principal Consultant
EARLY EXPERIENCE: Began career as a Program Manager for ARRO, focusing on organi
zation analysis, test development/validation, performance measurement, evaluatio
n, training, surveys, and team performance. Assisted President with business dev
elopment, staffing, and oversight of projects.

SELECTED PROJECTS
Competency Development
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) – Developed competency mo
dels for scientific, contracts, ethics and public liaison staffs using job descr
iptions and interviews. Then developed selection interviews and performance mana
gement tools to assess the competencies.
• Multiple Organizations (FBI, Navy, FRA, Philadelphia Police, Marine Corps, Marylan
d Department of Transportation, 48 Electric Utilities) – Determined the competencies
required for administrative, management, professional, technical, blue collar a
nd white collar jobs in a number of private firms and government agencies. Devel
oped and implemented a variety of methods for competency identification, includi
ng reviews of job descriptions, focus groups, interviews and surveys.
• UNAIDS – Developed interviews with UN staff and identified technical competencies for
Partnership Advisors at UNAIDS.
Surveys
• Department of Treasury – Designed, developed and implemented an employee attitude surv
ey. Facilitated action planning meetings with employees to respond to identified
issues of concern.
• Office of Personnel Management – Enhanced the effectiveness of a government-wide organ
izational assessment survey by conducting an extensive literature review on meas
ures of organizational performance and effectiveness
• United States Marine Corps – Developed employee satisfaction survey for the Facilities
and Services Division of the Marine Corps. Recommended ways to respond to probl
ems identified in the survey.
Leadership/Management
• World Bank – Proposed program for high potential staff. Interviewed executives and man
agers to determine developmental experiences that prepared staff for management
positions.
Program Evaluation/Benchmarking
• The World Bank – Laid the groundwork for enhancing the quality of leadership developme
nt and executive coaching programs: Devised instruments, conducted interviews, a
nalyzed qualitative/quantitative data, identified program improvement recommenda
tions, and prepared reports for stakeholders.
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration – Improved quality of grant applications b
y designing planning grant process. Revamped application instructions and relate
d process. Planning grant rolled out in one year.
• NIAID – Conducted benchmarking studies to compare processes and practices related to c
ommunications, administrative services, grants, policy development, recruitment,
and pharmaceutical services. Results were used to make changes to processes.
Performance Appraisal
• Mathematical Association of America – Determined the dimensions of performance for an
executive director of a professional organization and developed and implemented
a multi-rater assessment of performance. Then provided feedback on the results o
f the assessment and worked with the executive director to plan developmental ac
tivities to improve her performance.
• NIAID – Facilitated the implementation of performance contracts for three divisions. D
eveloped informational materials, trained managers on the new system and worked
to develop contracts for a number of jobs.
Change Management/Business Process Reengineering
• NIAID – Acted as a catalyst for change in driving major organization assessment and ch
ange projects. Assembled and led focus groups; analyzed work processes, structur
e, training, leadership, communications, and collaboration; identified improveme
nt opportunities; and created the framework for implementation of recommendation
s. Achieved buy-in from stakeholders.
• Panhandle Eastern Pipeline – Collaborated with the executive management team to identi
fy a new strategic focus for a division greatly impacted by deregulation. Played
key role in defining new roles for employees; designed work processes, overhaul
ed position descriptions and career paths, and outlined new methods for placing
employees.
Selection
• FEMA – Helped to redesign a job to meet the organization’s strategy, identified compe
es for the job and developed an assessment center strategy used for the selectio
n of candidates.
• U.S. Department of Education – Evaluated options and recommended computerized system t
o streamline the hiring process. Composed new selection questions and worked wit
h HR staff to revamp the screening/selection process, reducing the time to hire
candidates.
• Multiple Organizations (FBI, Philadelphia Police, Maryland Department of Transport
ation, Bellcore, NIAID) – Developed and validated selection and promotion procedures
for professional, technical, administrative and blue-collar occupations.

CREDENTIALS
PhD, Social Psychology / Personality Measurement and Theory, UNIVERSITY OF CHICA
GO
MS, Organizational Development (AU/NTL Program), AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
BA, Psychology, BROOKLYN COLLEGE
PREVIOUS TOP SECRET AND SECRET-LEVEL CLEARANCES
Graduate coursework in industrial and organizational psychology at the Universit
y of Minnesota.
— Author of over 85 reports, articles, and presentations —