About

Amaury Cooper is a Security/Operations professional with over 20 years’ experience in international security, crisis, & business continuity analysis, planning, and management in the academic, private sector, and NGO humanitarian aid & development fields. As a subject matter expert on NGO Safety and Security, he is a frequent speaker at conferences, has been interviewed by CNN and other media outlets, and serves on numerous association and US government working groups. 

He is currently Vice President of Global Safety and Security at HIAS, an NGO providing vital services to refugees and asylum seekers around the world and advocates for their fundamental rights so they can rebuild their lives. Prior to HIAS, Amaury held leadership positions in security management, crisis response, and threat analysis at Global Communities, EDC, International Relief and Development (IRD), Creative Associates, CHF International, Control Risks, and the Center for Nonproliferation Studies. 

He co-founded and was Secretary of the International NGO Safety & Security Association (INSSA) and currently serves its Board of Directors. He sits on the GISF Americas Steering Committee, as well as the Overseas Security Advisory Council's (OSAC) International Development Sector Committee and Middle East/North Africa Regional Committee Steering Committees.

He earned an MA in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and a BA in International Relations with minors in Global Peace & Security and East Asian Cultural Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has certificates in Project Management from Georgetown University as well as Advanced Mandarin Chinese from Tsinghua University and Beijing Normal University. He is fluent in French, proficient in Mandarin Chinese, has a working knowledge of Spanish, and has traveled extensively throughout Africa, Asia, Central & South America, and the Middle East.