Mike Cooper is a life-long resident of Covington. After graduating from St. Paul’s School, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in City and Regional Planning from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette. Mike’s passion for planning was demonstrated through his early career work for St. Tammany Parish Government’s Planning Department and decade-long service on the Planning and Zoning Commission for the City of Covington.
Following in his father’s footsteps, who served as Mayor of Covington for 24 years, Mike was elected Mayor of the City of Covington in 2011. He takes great pride in the work he did to benefit and serve the citizens of Covington during his two terms as Mayor. He was sworn in as St. Tammany Parish President in January 2020. During his three years in office, he has faithfully led the citizens of St. Tammany through a global pandemic, record-breaking storms, including Hurricane Ida, and a 500-plus year flooding event, as he ensured essential public services were maintained and key initiatives were set in motion.
Mike has a deep-rooted dedication to shaping the future of the parish that he has called home his entire life, while preserving its remarkable character. Under his leadership, his administration is focused on providing an efficient and effective system of government to St. Tammany Parish. He has prioritized planning and building for a sustainable future by investing in our drainage and transportation infrastructure as well as instituting comprehensive planning initiatives for the first time in parish history. Mike works daily to balance the promotion of economic development while maintaining the highly regarded quality of life that makes St. Tammany special.
He is proud to be an integral part of the community and to humbly serve the citizens of St. Tammany as Parish President. Mike’s calling to the community is not only embodied in his decades of public service, but also his involvement in local organizations. He has served as President of the Covington Jaycees, President of the St. Paul’s Alumni Association, President of the St. Tammany Municipal Association, Chairman of the Regional Planning Commission, and is currently the President of the Police Jury Association of Louisiana – Region VI. Mike was also an active participant and graduate of Leadership Louisiana (2014), Leadership Northshore Slidell (2016) and Leadership St. Tammany (2019).
Mike has been married to his wife Catherine for 14 years. He is the proud stepdad of two sons and grandfather of five and an active parishioner of St. Peter Catholic Church in Covington.