Full Name
Derek Cooper
Job Title
VP of Government Affairs
Company
Comcast
Speaker Bio
Derek S. Cooper, Esq. is a senior government affairs and public policy executive with more than 25 years of experience across the telecommunications, retail, legal, and public sectors. He currently serves as Vice President, Advocacy & Strategy – Government Affairs at Comcast Corporation, where he leads multistate advocacy and government engagement efforts across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. In this role, he partners closely with operational and business leaders to advance large-scale broadband deployment initiatives, including subsidy-funded builds, permitting, and regulatory compliance, while also overseeing community investment strategies that strengthen local relationships and support economic development.
Previously, Mr. Cooper served as Vice President of Government Affairs – Network Expansion at Comcast’s headquarters, where he led the company’s nationwide strategy to secure public funding for broadband infrastructure. He oversaw the end-to-end grant lifecycle and cross-functional coordination that resulted in more than $1 billion in government subsidies, supporting network expansion to over 500,000 new homes and businesses nationwide. Earlier, as Regional Vice President of Government & Regulatory Affairs for Comcast’s Florida Region, he directed regulatory strategy, infrastructure negotiations, and public-private partnerships across Florida and parts of Georgia and Alabama, while leading community investment initiatives that expanded broadband access to more than one million low-income Floridians.
Mr. Cooper began his career in public service as a legislative aide former Florida Senate President Jim Scott, then practiced corporate and securities litigation at Greenberg Traurig LLP, and later served as Senior Counsel and Director of Government Relations at Office Depot, Inc. He holds a Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and earned undergraduate degrees from Florida State University, graduating summa cum laude. A committed civic leader, he serves as a City Councilman for the City of Atlantis, Florida, and serves on many boards including VCTA, Volunteer Florida Foundation, and the Orange Bowl Committee to name a few.
Derek is married to his amazing wife Ashley Youngs Cooper, and they spend their free time keeping up with the thirteen-year-old daughter Sage.
Previously, Mr. Cooper served as Vice President of Government Affairs – Network Expansion at Comcast’s headquarters, where he led the company’s nationwide strategy to secure public funding for broadband infrastructure. He oversaw the end-to-end grant lifecycle and cross-functional coordination that resulted in more than $1 billion in government subsidies, supporting network expansion to over 500,000 new homes and businesses nationwide. Earlier, as Regional Vice President of Government & Regulatory Affairs for Comcast’s Florida Region, he directed regulatory strategy, infrastructure negotiations, and public-private partnerships across Florida and parts of Georgia and Alabama, while leading community investment initiatives that expanded broadband access to more than one million low-income Floridians.
Mr. Cooper began his career in public service as a legislative aide former Florida Senate President Jim Scott, then practiced corporate and securities litigation at Greenberg Traurig LLP, and later served as Senior Counsel and Director of Government Relations at Office Depot, Inc. He holds a Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and earned undergraduate degrees from Florida State University, graduating summa cum laude. A committed civic leader, he serves as a City Councilman for the City of Atlantis, Florida, and serves on many boards including VCTA, Volunteer Florida Foundation, and the Orange Bowl Committee to name a few.
Derek is married to his amazing wife Ashley Youngs Cooper, and they spend their free time keeping up with the thirteen-year-old daughter Sage.
Speaking At
