Charley Cooper is Chief Operating Officer at Ava Labs, where he oversees global operations, strategy, and corporate functions for the Avalanche ecosystem and serves on the firm’s leadership committee. Previously, he was Managing Director and Chief Communications Officer at R3 (2015–2023), leading regulatory, policy, and communications efforts, and earlier held senior roles including COO of Trading & Clearing at State Street and Global Head of Legal Operations at Deutsche Bank AG. He also served as COO/Chief of Staff at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, advising on financial markets policy, and as Senior Advisor to Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz at the U.S. Department of Defense, earning the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. Earlier in his career, he practiced law at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, contributed at the U.S. Department of Justice, and worked on Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign. Cooper is a visiting fellow at the United States Military Academy, a media contributor on politics, national security, and crypto, and a frequent speaker at institutions including Harvard University and Yale School of Management; he holds a B.A. and J.D. from Georgetown University.