School of Communiction and School of Continuing and Professional Studies Commencement Addresses

Melody Spann Cooper

(BS ’88) • Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Midway Broadcasting Company; Member, Board of Trustees, Loyola University Chicago

Melody Spann Cooper (BS ’88) is the second-generation owner of Midway Broadcasting Corporation, an African-American and female-owned media company.

She was educated in Chicago Catholic institutions from elementary school through Loyola University of Chicago, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Spann Cooper also serves a member of the Board of Trustees for Loyola University Chicago.

Midway Broadcasting Corporation produces culturally relevant content for Chicago’s thriving Black and Latino populations. Midway broadcasting assets include WVON 1690AM, the oldest Black-oriented radio station in Chicago; WRLL 1450AM, Chicago’s Home for Hispanic Independent Broadcasters; and its digital streaming platform, VONtv.

Spann Cooper serves on numerous professional and civic boards including as Past Chair of the Illinois Broadcasters Association; as executive committee member of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters; as co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Council for the Obama Presidential Center, and as commissioner of the Illinois Liquor Control Commission.

In her first book, The Girlfriend's Guide to Closing the Deal, Spann Cooper shares valuable insights for women in business on how to tap into your innate power and purpose to add value and get the deal done.