Angie Cooper serves as president and chief operating officer of Heartland Forward, overseeing strategy, public policy, programming and Heartland Forward’s flagship event, the Heartland Summit.

As president, Angie is focused on being a resource for states and communities – turning Heartland Forward’s research into action, creating new partnerships and leading public policy solutions for state and local communities across the 20 states in the heartland region.

For more than 16 years, Angie worked in international and domestic public policy and government affairs for Walmart Stores, Inc., most recently as senior director of global public policy. Angie also worked in various departments within Walmart including, merchandising, public affairs, state and local government relations and the Walmart foundation.

While at Walmart, Angie served as Walmart’s chair of the Women’s Resource Council (WRC). Angie has also been on the board for the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) and served as board chair of Common Threads.

In 2023, Angie was recognized as an emerging leader by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society for her work on the #1 economic issue of our time – providing everyone access to affordable high-speed internet. She is recognized as a Top 100 Women of Impact in Arkansas and in 2024 was appointed to the U.S. Department of Commerce National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee (NAIAC).

Angie is a native of Oklahoma and a graduate of Oklahoma State University.