Board Member Profile: Kim Cooke
How did Detroit native Kim Cooke end up in Northville at the NEF?
Simple: Detroit to Bloomfield Hills (Andover High School) to Boca
Raton (Florida Atlantic University), back to Detroit (DCL, now the MSU
College of Law) to Washington, D.C. (American University for his
Legal Masters Degree) to London and Bermuda (as an International
Trade attorney), back to DC as an investment manager…then back to
Northville.
Kim’s career has included trial law, international trade law and financial services. He is currently the Chairman of Blue Water Capital, a
venture capital firm based in McLean, Virginia.
When Kim and his wife Kathy (also a Michigan native) were raising
their children in Northern Virginia, they were anxious to get back to the Midwest. They started by
finding a church home (Oak Pointe Church in Novi) and an excellent school system (Northville Public
Schools) and THEN looked for the perfect home, which they also found in Northville.
Kim and Kathy came back to Michigan during the 2007/08 school year, just in time for the economic
collapse. They had three sons in the Northville Public School system and wanted to contribute to the
community. Kim met with Dr. Leonard Rezmierski, retired Northville Public Schools Superintendent
(1991-2011), and NEF President Eric Barritt to talk about the best way to get personally and financially involved - both recommended the Northville Educational Foundation.
Kim loves the community and the leadership opportunities in Northville and enjoys playing a part in
its positive change and growth. Serving as a NEF Director since 2009, Kim is currently an active
member of the Fundraising Committee. He has also served on the Communications and TURF CLUB
committees, and as President of the NHS Men’s Lacrosse Club. His interests included the turf/
stadium campaign at Tom Holzer Ford Field and the Tech bond, primarily because these strategies
benefitted both the schools and the community. Kim most recently worked on NEF’s annual fund
raiser, A Night for Northville, which was held on March 1, 2014. The NEF supports Academics, the
Arts and Athletics – this year’s event will focus on the Arts and will benefit all ten Northville Public
Schools.
When asked what he would most like to accomplish during his tenure at the NEF, Kim cites contributing from an operational standpoint in helping to lay out a strategy for the future. Kim would like
the NEF to build a significant endowment fund so that it can continue to effectively support and provide leadership for the Northville Public School system which is so integral to the community. All activities that raise awareness of the NEF help them to continue to support the teachers, administrators and especially Northville Public School students. The NEF thanks Kim Cooke for his many contributions!