Alyson comes to us as a long-time FIRST robotics volunteer, leaving her role on the Girl Scouts of Alaska staff to run the FIRST program in Alaska while continuing to volunteer for Girl Scouts and coach their two Juneau FIRST LEGO League teams. Alyson graduated from Chugiak High School and earned a BS in Geology and her Navy commission at The University of Texas at Austin, then served on ships in a wide variety of jobs including as Navigator of an ammunition ship during Operation Desert Storm. Eventually Commander Cooper ended up in Juneau doing logistics work and retired here, and after living in all four corners of the U.S., she has no intention of ever leaving Juneau.
Besides FIRST robotics and Girl Scouts which she has pulled her (also retired Navy) husband and two UAA-attending daughters fully into as well, Alyson and her husband run a small local business. Alyson plays percussion for the Juneau Symphony, Taku Winds, her church, and anyone nearby when she starts absent-mindedly drumming on available objects. And yes, the rumors are true, she does have a LEGO table suspended from her living room ceiling.
