Over his 15-year career as a public health and emergency management professional, Cotter has piloted and launched innovative international strategies to localize emergency response operations and build sustainable response functions worldwide. Most recently, Cotter served as the director of emergency response and preparedness for Project HOPE, a renowned global health and humanitarian relief organization. Prior to that role, he developed and managed public health and emergency response programs in several countries for non-profit organizations.
Cotter’s educational background is heavily focused on public health and emergency response. He has a Master of Public Health degree from Boston University School of Public Health and a certificate from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Cotter received his Bachelor of Arts in Public and Community Service Studies at Providence College in Rhode Island and attended the University of the Philippines as part of an international research team focused on the socioeconomic determinants of health. Cotter has also served as an emergency response coordinator for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services since 2013.