Faces of ICPSR: Lara Cooper

What is your ICPSR Job Title?:

Product Manager

What is a favorite memory or instance you have working at ICPSR? What makes ICPSR a great place to work?:

The people. Dharma is very very good at her job as a manager (and my city council rep!) Our dev team is extraordinary. Aalap and Wendi and the Design/UX teams. Jeanette, Trisha, RDE leadership are all extraordinary.

Where are you from?:

Ann Arbor

What is your favorite part of your job?:

Bridging gaps, bringing the right people together, learning process, creating process.

How long have you worked here?:

2 years

What do you do when not at work?:

Take creative writing classes, crafts, neverending yard work, organizing reunions, mini reunions, and family events. I bring people together.

What have you read/viewed/listened to/etc. recently?:

Viewed: Reservation Dogs (Hulu), which is the best show ever. Yellowjackets (Showtime on Hulu), which is an acquired “taste” (see what I did there?) Giri/Haji, which is an amazing BBC show (Netflix). Listened to: got to see Springsteen and Indigo Girls live last month Read: To Be Read Pile On Nightstand: Song of Achilles, Billie Jean King Bio, Sometimes You Have to Lie (Louise Fitzhugh bio)

What might surprise us about you?:

I have only one Bucket List item: To run up the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, phone playing the Rocky theme and do the dance at the top. Doing this with my college girlfriends the first weekend in October.

Anything else that you’d like to share with us?:

I have had 4 rescue dachshunds over the last 21+ years, the next one will be named Greta Van Fleet.

Photo captions (left to right, top to bottom): 1. Dad and Uncle Joe 2. Joshua Tree with Sister & Dad 3. Whole family of dorks after paddleboarding in Redondo Beach 4. Wolverines for life 5. Jake makes his vote for City Council

Thanks, Lara!