Alana Cooper | Bayou Icon

ARTICLE BY GEORGIANN POTTS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

Alana Cooper has always loved a good adventure. From family weekends trekking through the gumbo mud in Madison Parish to reach a beloved hunting camp to flying with the AeroShell performance team doing barrel rolls and other aerial acrobatics, Alana has lived an adventurous life. She has also developed a very successful 30-year career in tourism. Her leadership in this field has been duly recognized. Recently she has won two prestigious awards – the AO Evans Award from the West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce and the Destination Outstanding Leadership Award from Destinations International (the highest honor available in the tourism industry). Alana never misses an opportunity to tell people about our area. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and is paying off with increased tourism here. Because of her love for her home region and her leadership in marketing our region well beyond traditional boundaries, Alana Donald Cooper is our July Bayou Icon.

Alana Kay Donald Cooper grew up in West Monroe, Louisiana, in a family always on the go – whether at work or at play. Her parents were both successful medical doctors. Her father, Dr. Albert Donald, was a family practice physician in private practice behind Glenwood Regional Medical Center in West Monroe. His practice was large, because he did everything from children, obstetrics, and surgery. When he passed away, Alana remembers that those attending his funeral were asked to stand if he had delivered them, had delivered their child, or if they had been a patient. “Most everyone stood,” Alana remembers. “It was good for my kids to see how many people he had treated.”

Alana’s mother, Dr. Bobbie Vining Donald, worked for the State and did a variety of medical jobs. She ran an obstetrics clinic, inspected nursing homes, and finished her medical career at E.A. Conway Medical Center (today Ochsner LSU Health Monroe). There she was the family clinic director and ran the Psychiatric Unit. “That position was her favorite, because she really felt that she was helping people,” Alana says. “I have worked with many people who both of my parents cared for in some way during their careers.”

The Donald’s welcomed four children – two boys and two girls. Randy (an attorney) is the oldest. Two years after his birth, Donna (a retired physician) was born. Donna took over their dad’s practice and later ended her career at St. Francis Medical Center as a hospitalist. The third child, Jeff (an alligator farmer in West Monroe and Columbia) arrived four years later. Alana came last – the baby in the family – four years after Jeff. Alana’s two oldest siblings have grandchildren; she and brother Jeff aren’t grandparents just yet.

Today Alana’s mother is 92 years old and still leads an active life. Alana credits her mom with teaching her to work hard and to give her best to all things. She still lives in the same house that her children grew up in. She loves gathering with her children and grandchildren. The family remains very close and all live nearby. Birthdays and holidays are always happy, cousin-filled occasions. “Our family is blessed to still have her here with us,” Alana says. “She has always been active and still is today.  She cans – jelly and pickles.  She also has a remarkable connection within her church. Mom is kind to everyone, and everyone matters – from the garbage collector to the President.” 

Alana’s paternal grandmother Irene Donald lived right next door, so she played an active role in the children’s lives. “She gardened and fished, and taught us how to do those things along with Dad,” Alana remembers. “He loved both things, too.”

Her maternal grandmother lived in Minden and was the “traveler” in the family. “She was my favorite because she was joy and happiness in one person to me!” says Alana. “She made me laugh, and she was the one who most loved to travel. She went with us on family vacations. I still remember floating down the Guadalupe with her and Mom when I was a kid. That is a cool memory!”

Alana’s grandmother traveled throughout the world. Alana calls her a “tour group junkie” who loved seeing the world that way. “Grandmaw took pictures, made them into slides, and then would do presentations for her church and local groups about what she had seen and learned from her travels,” Alana says.

Childhood Adventures 

Many weekends during Alana’s childhood were spent at the family’s hunting camp in Madison Parish on the Tensas River. Those weekends at the camp helped her dad get away from his work for a little while. Her dad – and all of the family – loved being in the woods exploring nature and still do. 

To get to the camp was no small adventure. The family and friends they invited along had to cross the Tensas River in a boat with all of their supplies, food, clothes, and guns. “I remember when I realized just how crazy an experience that was! We would overload a john boat to make one trip across, and then we hiked about a half mile to the camp in that gumbo mud,” Alana explains with a laugh. “Half the time we didn’t have a proper paddle. It was either a broken one or we used a 2×4.” 

Once at the camp, the adventures continued. There was a huge table there that could seat 24. Meals were a big part of the camp experience. “We grew up eating fried venison, which we call ‘dry-fry’,” Alana explains. “Playing in the mud was fun when we were kids. Seeing wildlife, going fishing, and hunting was a big part of my growing up.”

Because her dad had such a heavy work schedule, a family friend — Mr. Thomas Wilder — taught Alana how to handle a gun safely. He took her hunting many times and was with her when she killed her first deer. “He was a kind man who smoked a pipe as we walked through the woods,” Alana recalls. “He taught me to respect the land and to eat what we harvested. He had a big impact on my respect for hunting for the right reasons and to be safe.” 

Alana’s family was part of a family group that owned a houseboat on the Ouachita River, and with another family that had a home on Lake D’Arbonne. They spent summers on the river and lake enjoying family and friends. Swimming, skiing, and grilling were all part of their summer routine. “Those were great times together with not only our family but the extended family/friends group we grew up with,” Alana says. “I was the youngest of all that group, so my parents had built-in babysitters when we were there.”

School Days

Alana’s mother considered kindergarten to be a wasted year, so all of her children skipped it and went straight to first grade. Ridgedale Academy was Alana’s education “home” for 12 grades. Alana graduated at 16, and turned 17 the week before she started college. Alana loved her time at Ridgedale and was an active student there. She cheered and played sports (basketball, softball, and track). In track, Alana was good at shotput and discus, but she disliked running. “We had to do one running event,” Alana says. “I had hoped since I placed in the two field events that they would let me out of running, but no, I had to run a mile. I did it and was usually at the back of the pack, if not last.”  

Her leadership ability was apparent through participation in Student Council (Alana was President her Senior year), National Honor Society, and every club except Rodeo. Alana especially loved two subjects in high school – English grammar and art. She loved grammar because the rules gave her guidelines to know what was right and wrong. Alana had two strong English teachers at Ridgedale. Mrs. Hill and Mrs. Barbo gave Alana a strong foundation.

Alana says that her art teacher Mrs. Swayze was a “blast.” She was also Student Council Director while Alana was President of the Council. “We hosted the state convention that year when I was President,” Alana explains. “I had no idea that would be something I would build my career on. It was a foundation for understanding what a meeting planner needs and does to attract conventions.”

Up, Up and Away

Alana began her university career at Northeast Louisiana University (now ULM) on the advice of brother Jeff. Jeff told her to call Patsy Rials to get enrolled and do PREP to get classes. Alana says that she had a “really good college life experience” but admits that she didn’t do as well at Northeast as she could have. 

At NLU Alana pledged Phi Mu and met great friends through that association. She especially enjoyed being Rush Chair for her sorority. She enjoyed organizing the events, overseeing small details like decorations, and deciding seating arrangements and discussion topics. 

Alana began majoring in Business at ULM. She switched to Aviation after completing her freshman year there. Realizing that she really needed to start thinking about a career, Alana transferred to Louisiana Tech after her junior year. There she found that the quarter system was better for her academically. “I didn’t get bored with the classes, as they were over quickly,” Alana says.

At Tech, Alana again loved her English grammar class. She says that her teacher Mrs. Johnson was probably one of the best professors she ever experienced. Alana’s career goal was to become a commercial pilot so that she could travel for work and see the world. She loved classes in her Aviation curriculum. Her engine class taught her how the mechanics of an airplane engine worked. She had always been curious about such things, and was also strong in logistics. Her weather class was another favorite, as was physics. She graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor’s degree in Professional Aviation.

Love of flying came late for Alana. Travel on family vacations had always been by car. Alana remembers a trip to Disney when she was 6 years old. The entire family of 6 made the trip in a station wagon driving to Orlando. When she was in college, she began flying for travel. Alana loved it – flying was exciting and fascinating, plus it made more time to explore and discover an area’s culture, food, and people.

Because aviation jobs were few when she graduated, Alana continued logging flight hours but returned to Tech to earn a Master’s in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (aka Human Resources). She earned her second degree in 1993. Her first business class introduced Alana to marketing strategy. She had no idea at the time that marketing would be her strength.

A Career Evolves

Alana’s first job after college was as a flight instructor. She says that it was here that she learned how people learn differently. “Finding the way where the student learned best, became the challenge to conquer,” Alana says. “I enjoyed watching the students go from wobbly fear to confidence in their skills and getting their private, commercial, and instrument licenses.”

A chance meeting at a swim meet with a neighbor, Susan Neck, led the way to Alana’s true calling. Susan mentioned a job opening at the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau with Julia Trichell. She suggested that Alana check it out. Alana did, and was hired.

When Alana began working for Julia, she was Julia’s Assistant Executive Director. There were only 4.5 employees when Alana was hired. Alana was Julia’s assistant, the receptionist, the marketing director, and also did sales. 

Over time – and with a wide variety of experiences at the CVB – Alana found her niche. The CVB won the bid for the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Girls State Basketball Championship Sweet 16 in 1997, and Alana handled the details. “It was a great experience for our community and for the teams involved,” Alana remembers. “This tournament opened my eyes to sports tourism. It is where we have grown most dynamically during my tenure.”

Alana moved to Sales immediately while continuing to do all the advertising and marketing for the area. Marketing expanded first by the addition of a specific marketing  position to handle all advertisements. Today the CVB has 13 fulltime employees creating a strong team that is mostly made of locally grown talent. There are now three departments – marketing/communications, sales, and operations. “It has been fun watching our team grow, expand, and excel,” Alana says with a smile. “Awards we have received include CVB of the Year from Louisiana Travel Association twice and from the Southeast Tourism Society Shining Example Award for the CVB and event of the year.” 

Love/Life Away From Work

Clark Cooper was friends with Alana’s brother, Jeff, before he met her. Alana knew Clark’s mother and brother first, too. At lunch one day, all four were eating at two separate tables and began talking. Afterward, Clark asked Jeff if he could ask Alana out. With Jeff’s permission, Clark called her and they went out. “One date and I knew I would marry him,” Alana says. “He is so smart, fun, and yet hardworking. He can be rough and gruff, but he has a huge heart.”

The two dated for four years before marrying. Alana’s dad told Clark when Clark asked to marry Alana that he would need a pair of tennis shoes and a bigger wallet because the family all like to “go.” Clark is a veterinarian, so some of their dates involved emergency calls from his clients and their animals. Having grown up in a “medical” household, Alana wasn’t fazed at all.

They now have two children – daughter Kamden and son Coltan. Kamden will graduate from ULM in Risk Management Insurance in December. She plans to move to Kansas City. Coltan is in the US Army and is at boot camp in Missouri. His goal is to be an Army CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear) Cleaner. When he finishes, he plans on going to veterinary school.

Challenges

In every full, rich life like Alana’s, there are challenges. One of the biggest ones was losing her mentor, business partner, and close friend, Julia Trichell. Julia had begun training Alana to follow her as CVB President/CEO when she died. The two were especially close, because Julia didn’t have children and because both were smart women. “I had to learn on my own and discover ways to make it work going forward without a mentor for the role of President and without my friend,” Alana says.

Other challenges included hosting large national events for the first time. The CVB hosted Amateur Athletic Union National Girls Basketball Championships with 50 up to 100 teams from throughout the U.S. That was their first foray into national tournaments. Recently they hosted the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. “We have hosted other unique sports national events such as USA Table Tennis Olympic Trials, World Horseshoe Pitching, USA BMX Cajun Nationals, DII Track and Field Nationals, and many National Cattle and Horse shows,” Alana says.

Sometimes the challenge is one of messaging – getting others who have perceived notions about this region to give the area a chance. “Sometimes the challenge is to get people to think positively about our area,” Alana explains. “It’s the greatest place to live, and there are so many talented and kind people. If you open your eyes and heart, you can see the positives. There are so many great stories to tell about the people here; it is part of the joy of my job.”

Future Hopes and Plans

What does the future hold for this very active, successful woman? Professionally, Alana would like to transition into consulting in the tourism industry when she retires. She loves tourism, tourism marketing, and would like to continue helping our community. With her wealth of experience, no doubt she would be successful.

On a personal level, Alana has a list of trips she would love to make. Greece and Ireland are on her wish list before retirement, but spending a month in Australia is tops once she retires. She would also add a few weeks in New Zealand while she was “down under.” “That is a long flight,” Alana says. “I’d want to make it worth the haul.” She also thinks it would be fun to go to a state for one month and explore the entire state. Alana would also love to do more kayaking plus hunting and fishing. She and Clark share a love for old cars and enjoy Alana’s ’58 Corvette. Playing tennis again is tempting, but so is pickleball. Whatever she does, Alana will do it enthusiastically.

Helen Keller (1880 – 1968 / Blind American author, lecturer, and prominent advocate for disability rights) once said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” Without a doubt, Alana Cooper would agree.