Alya Adamany Woods

Alya Woods is vice president, business development at Cooley serving the greater Midwest market. She joined Cooley in 2021 as part of the firm’s Chicago market expansion. Alya has worked passionately for over a decade to develop the Chicago tech ecosystem, supporting startup growth, connecting investors and entrepreneurs, and bridging the public and private sector.

Prior to joining Cooley, Alya held various leadership roles focused on tech ecosystem, economic and business development. Most recently she served as the acting CEO and COO of Intersect Illinois, where she worked to attract new and innovative businesses to the state. Prior to that she served as Executive Director of ChicagoNEXT, World Business Chicago’s dedicated effort to drive growth and opportunity for Chicago’s tech economy. There her portfolio of programs focused on venture investment, talent attraction, emerging industries, and inclusive entrepreneurship. Prior to her role at World Business Chicago, Alya was the Managing Director for Innovation Initiatives at the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC), where she co-founded and managed the ISTC’s award-winning Corporate-Startup Challenge, a program designed to create a bridge between major corporations and startup and emerging growth technology firms. She began her career at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, where she built programs to address policy issues including energy, immigration, and agriculture.

Alya received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Yale University and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Chicago. She has lived in Chicago since 2002 and currently resides in the Logan Square neighborhood with her family and rescue dog, Dolly.