Cousins was the first Black faculty member at Wellesley College,[2] and among the first African Americans to teach at a top liberal arts college[3] Shortly after completing his Ph.D. at Yale University, Cousins went to India with the American Friends Service Committee and began a career in international community development.
[4] Notable among these was Cousins' work in the 1970s through UNICEF on the successful model project in Hyderabad, India's fifth largest city.
He began with the international Cooperation Administration (predecessor of AID) as a rural Community development Advisor in India and Iran.
This was followed by volunteering as one of the three founders of a pilot project in Urban Community Development in Baroda, India, sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee.
He has also been a consultant to UNICEF, CARE, the World Bank, John Snow INC, Food Aid Management, Sister Cities and the government of India.