2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 207
Commending David Cooper.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, March 11, 2026
WHEREAS, from 2018 to 2026, David Cooper helped the Thurman Brisben Center in Fredericksburg more effectively serve families with children and single adults experiencing homelessness through his transformative leadership as chief executive officer; and
WHEREAS, under David Cooper's leadership, the Thurman Brisben Center, commonly known as the Brisben Center, established programs to increase incomes, secure employment, and resolve the underlying causes of Virginians' homelessness; and
WHEREAS, David Cooper developed meaningful programs to help clients demonstrate income and employment gains, both solid indicators of progress toward economic self-sufficiency; and
WHEREAS, during David Cooper's tenure, the Brisben Center developed a theory of change grounded in three life-changing impacts: livable-wage income, sustained re-housing, and decreased returns to shelter; and
WHEREAS, in 2020, David Cooper oversaw the installation of a 115-kilowatt photovoltaic system, the largest rooftop solar array in Fredericksburg, which has significantly decreased the Brisben Center's energy costs; and