Running For: Alumni Trustee, Nominating Committee

Anna Brook, BSE’04

Campaign Statement

I am honored to be nominated for the role of Alumni Trustee.  If elected, I will work to provide valuable contributions to the Board of Trustees and all stakeholders. Why am I running for Alumni Trustee and why do I deserve your vote?

Cooper Union is family. My brother (ChE ’13), my cousin (ChE ’97) and I (BSE ’04) benefitted from Cooper Union’s free tuition. As an immigrant, I am keenly aware that many deserving students cannot afford higher education. I am proud of the progress Cooper Union has made towards a return to free tuition, as Peter Cooper intended. I am dedicated to working with the School to continue the positive trajectory towards providing future generations of Cooper students with the same opportunity for a free education that members of my family and I received. I hope that one (or more) of my children attend Cooper Union when they are older, which means I am personally invested in Cooper Union’s future.

I know the Cooper Union Alumni Association (CUAA). It is imperative that an Alumni Trustee is familiar with and takes an active role in the CUAA. I have served on the CUAA Executive Committee as Secretary since 2020. During this time, I worked closely with three CUAA Presidents, multiple Alumni Trustees, and was active in CUAA Committees including Communications, Annual Fund, Events, MOA (chair), Gano Dunn Award (chair), Membership, and Nominating Committees. I was also honored with the 2020 Young Alumna of the Year Award. Alumni Trustees are part of the Board, but they are also voting members of the CUAA Executive Committee and Council. My CUAA leadership experience will allow me to be effective as an Alumni Trustee and continue to support the alumni organization.

I bring professional experience as a problem solver and an advocate. I am a Cooper-trained engineer, an attorney, and a mom of four. There is no problem I cannot solve. I have more than 15 years of experience as an intellectual property litigator. The skills I developed in my career, such as the ability to analyze and resolve complex issues, explain difficult concepts in a way that is readily understood by anyone, advocate for my clients, and negotiate to reach agreement between parties who don’t see eye to eye will enable me to make a difference as a member of the Board. As Alumni Trustee, I will advocate for Cooper Union, help identify and solve problems, and rely on my professional experience and skills to provide guidance.   

I work with Cooper Union on alumni outreach. I am frequently in contact with the Cooper Union alumni office to improve alumni engagement. I spearheaded the creation of the Alumni in Law affinity group in 2019 to provide networking opportunities and encourage fundraising. I work with the School’s alumni office to host events, including joint events with other affinity groups. In the past two years I have helped the school organize the regional New Jersey Cooper Together event. I believe this work has helped establish a positive relationship between the CUAA, Cooper Union, and myself that will be beneficial to my role on the Board.

I am honored by this nomination and hope that Cooper Union alumni will entrust me with the role of Alumni Trustee.

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Biography

Anna Brook graduated from Cooper Union in 2004 with a BSE degree. She earned a JD degree from Harvard Law School in 2007. Anna is a partner in the intellectual property group at the law firm Culhane Meadows, focusing on patent litigation and counseling. Prior to that, she worked in the New York office of an international law firm for 12 years. Anna represented pharmaceutical companies in patent litigation relating to some of the world’s top-selling medicines, consumer goods manufacturers in litigation relating to everyday household products, and patent owners in high-stakes corporate transactions.

Anna lives in New Jersey with her husband and four children. Anna hopes that at least one of their kids eventually attends Cooper Union (for free).