Michael Cooper is a journalist and attorney from North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. After graduating from Appalachian State University, he interned on Capitol Hill and worked for a civil rights organization and then on a number of campaigns. He has been a contributor to National Affairs, The New Republic, The Week, U.S. News & World Report, The Winston-Salem Journal, and the Raleigh News & Observer. For fun he enjoys hiking in the mountains and watching college basketball. He is currently a 2020 Presidential Leadership Scholar, a fellowship hosted by the George W. Bush Center, the Clinton Center, the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, and the LBJ Foundation.