Mary Jo Cooper

Vice President of Developmental Services

Mary Jo has been the leader of Bay Cove's Developmental Services programs since 2004, spearheading significant growth in residential, Individual/Family support services and a variety of day services. She joined Bay Cove in 1987 as a case manager in Mental Health Services, before making the move to Developmental Services as a clinician. In that role, she utilized her experience in serving individuals with both developmental and psychiatric disabilities to develop and run community-based services for DDS-referred individuals whose presentation required integrated services. Similarly, she developed creative and specialized services for people with complex behavioral, forensic and medical needs. Mary Jo also instituted the Bay Cove Human Rights Program, and was a founding member and current leader of the Bay Cove Responders Team, who provide trauma response support and intervention to all Bay Cove staff.

Among many external roles, Mary Jo is the past Board Chair for NuPath, and has served on several statewide committees/panels deciding Industry Standards, Trends and Best Practices. She was appointed to the EOHHS Statewide Steering Committee on Disabilities & Aging, and currently serves on the Board of ADDP, including as Chair of the Residential Services Committee and as a member of the Training Committee. She has been appointed to many industry-wide task forces.  

Mary Jo graduated from George Washington University with a master's degree in Experimental and Developmental Psychology, and is presently an adjunct Faculty member of the Boston Architecture College’s Master in Design Studies, teaching students in the Design For Human Health Program.