Our Team

About David Cooper

In 1987 after earning a degree in Molecular Biology, David Cooper entered the Navy and joined the SEALs. Dave spent nearly nineteen of his 25-year career in the Navy at the prestigious Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), conducting combat operations throughout Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Dave’s early operational history includes deployments in support of Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM.  In 1993, Dave was then selected for the Naval Special Warfare Development Group.  From 1994 to 2012, he completed dozens of deployments, both in and out of major theaters of war, to include such places as Haiti, Bosnia, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Iraq. He has led extensively in combat at all levels, and has executed missions spanning the full gamut of Naval Special Warfare capabilities.

From September 2009 to September 2011, Dave served as the Command Master Chief (the senior SEAL Operator and principal advisor to the Commanding Officer) of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group. He is one of only a handful of SEALs to ever hold this position. During his tenure, the Development Group successfully executed some of the most significant Special Operations missions in the history of the U.S. Military.  In a role that took him from the battlefield one minute to the interagency boardroom the next, Dave’s influence, interpersonal skills and leadership were instrumental to the unparalleled success of this elite unit.

Dave is featured in the best-selling book “The Culture Code” along with some of the most innovative business leaders and researchers in the U.S. and has consulted on organizational health initiatives with Fortune 100 and 500 clients, from major oil and gas companies to nimble startups and tech firms.

Dave presently serves BALL PLLC clients, combining his deep experience and lessons of combat leadership with such diverse disciplines as design thinking, strategic thinking, complexity science, organizational change management, creating high-purpose cultures, and leadership coaching and advising.