Acting Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh announced Wednesday that Kwame Cooper will serve as the FDNY’s new Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.

Cooper will be responsible for implementing and gaining support for diversity and inclusion efforts throughout the agency, the department said in a press release. 

“Kwame Cooper is a dedicated public servant who has bravely served as a Firefighter and Chief Officer in Los Angeles for nearly four decades, and now brings his unique experience and vast knowledge of the fire service, diversity and inclusion to the FDNY,” Kavanagh said in a statement. “He understands the culture of the Fire Service and knows firsthand what needs to be improved to create a more inclusive environment for all the men and women of the FDNY.”

The FDNY’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer position was created in 2015. Cooper is the third person to hold the position, the department said. 

The announcement comes days after a City Council hearing Monday examined the department’s struggle with diversity.

The department’s demographics are completely out of step with New York City at large, council members said at the Monday hearing. Over three-fourths of uniformed firefighters are white, 13% are Hispanic and 8% are Black; 28% of the city is Hispanic, while 20% is Black. Roughly 1% of firefighters are women.

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion create unique challenges and opportunities for fire service leadership, and throughout my career as a Firefighter – and later leading as a Fire Chief myself – I have overseen important initiatives across the country to meet those challenges head on and improve how firefighters treat one another in the work environment,” Cooper said. “I believe inclusiveness is a fundamental principle of leadership, and I am honored to join the FDNY and help this incredible organization build upon its successes and achieve its goals.”

Cooper served as a member of the Los Angeles City Fire Department for 38 years, most recently as assistant chief of their operations control bureau from 2016 to 2019.

Since 2019, he has served as a consultant on the International Association of Fire Chiefs Fire Chiefs Equity and Inclusion Council, which, according to the FDNY release, uses qualitative and quantitative research of demographic data to identify sources of discrimination, harassment and hiring biases for African American, Hispanic, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals in the Fire and Emergency Medical Services. 

Cooper has also served as an adjunct instructor at the Carl Holmes Executive Development Institute and the National Fire Academy, teaching subjects to firefighters from around the country that include leadership and diversity.

Cooper holds a Doctorate Degree in Leadership and Organization Development, with an emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion, from Grand Canyon University.