She was the Archdeacon of Colchester (in the Diocese of Chelmsford) from 2004 until 2018. Cooper was born on 15 November 1953, the daughter of Harry Whitaker and Grace (née Parnham, later James).
[1] Having trained with the Southwark Ordination Course, Cooper was ordained a deacon on 3 July 1988 at Rochester Cathedral by David Bartleet, Bishop of Tonbridge.
[2] She then became a non-stipendiary minister at St Peter, Pembury and simultaneously a full-time assistant chaplain in the Tunbridge Wells health authority until 1991.
[3] In 1996, Cooper moved to become priest-in-charge of St Mary's, Edwinstowe, where she was also a chaplain at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest (until 2000), area dean of the Worksop deanery (from 1999) and an honorary canon of Southwell Minster (from 2002).
When her archdeaconry was split on 1 February 2013, she became (additionally) Acting Archdeacon of Stansted until the first incumbent of that post (Robin King) was collated on 15 September 2013.