CULLOWHEE – The University of North Carolina Board of Governors appointed Timothy “Jake” Robinson of Canton, to the Western Carolina University Board of Trustees, while also reappointing current board members, Robert “Bob” Roberts of Asheville, Haden Boliek of Fayetteville, and Casey Cooper of Cherokee at its meeting Thursday, April 22.
The board appointments will take effect July 1 through June 30, 2025.
Cooper is the chief executive officer of Cherokee Indian Hospital in Cherokee. The hospital serves approximately 14,000 members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). As an enrolled member of the EBCI, Cooper has been involved in American Indian health care for 25 years. He is a graduate of Gardner-Webb University and holds a master’s degree in business from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Cooper is a current member of the United South and Eastern Tribes Health Committee, CMS Tribal Technical Advisory Group, NC Medical Care Advisory Committee, IHS Facilities Appropriation Advisory Board, Mountain Area Health Education Center Board of Directors and the board of directors of Dogwood Health Trust. He also is a former member of the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board. At WCU, Cooper is completing a partial unexpired term on the board of trustees on June 30. He has also served on the WCU Board of Visitors and the WCU chancellor search committee. Cooper and his wife, Jill, have one son and two daughters.
– Western Carolina University release
