Profession:
Five Words About Me:
One Surprising Skill:
Valerie A. Cooper is an accomplished entrepreneur, art consultant and appraiser, diversity art curator, and an adjunct professor. In 2002, Valerie founded Picture That, LLC, a fine art consulting firm, after a 15-year Wall Street career at Goldman Sachs as VP of Risk Technology where she led software development teams in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Picture That supplies artwork & photography, curates cultural exhibitions, and provides art advisory and appraisal services for corporations, professional services firms, healthcare organizations and academic institutions nationwide. Besides being a highly sought-after art consultant Valerie has taught Public Speaking, Human Resources Management, Business Management and 19th and 20th Century African American Art History.
Valerie graduated with a B.S. from HBCU Morgan State University, before obtaining multiple certificates from Harvard, Tuck Business School @ Dartmouth, and NYU. She also obtained an MBA from Columbia Business School in NYC. Valerie is an accredited member of the Appraisers Association of Americawith a specialty in African American Fine Art.
A native of Stamford, Valerie is the Vice President for Stamford, CT’s Arts and Culture Commission, a board member for Inspirica, Inc., andan Adjunct Professor for Norwalk Community College.She is also a member of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation’s Community Impact Committee; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and The Links, Incorporated. Past board memberships include Norwalk Community College Foundation, CTE and A Better Chance of Darien, CT.
Valerie’s involvement for the City of Stamford runs deep. In 2004, she created a Cultural Arts and Literary Program for grades K-12 students, with participants from public and private schools; community centers and religious institutions. In addition to sponsoring art exhibitions, the curriculum incorporates visits to NYC museums and art galleries to enhance each students’ cultural experience. This program has positively impacted students, teachers and the Fairfield County community at large over the past 18 years.
More recently in July 2020, Picture That spearheaded the City of Stamford’s Black Lives Matter Street Mural Project, engaging 16 “Frontline” African American Artists to create unique renderings for each letter, with artistic support from the community at large. This event was life changing for all in attendance.