Every community carries stories that shape the people who rise from it. Some stories begin in quiet places, and others begin in rooms filled with chaos, fear, or impossible choices. In certain neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, many families spent years learning how to hold hope in the middle of uncertainty. Those streets often taught children more than any classroom could. They taught them how to watch closely, listen hard, and understand the world before they were old enough to fully enter it. Dr. Marcia Coppertino’s story begins in this setting.
Dr. Marcia Coppertino grew up in Watts, where difficulty often arrived without warning. At seven years old, she watched officers chase her father to the roof of their apartment building. She heard one of them shout words no child should ever hear. The moment stayed with her. She felt small and helpless, but she also felt something new forming inside her. As she put it, “Something told me I had to become more than I was at seven to get my father back.”
That thought shaped her childhood. From ages seven to twelve, she turned to books and television programs about law, business, and politics, trying to understand how the world worked and how power moved within it. Her father had been sentenced to twenty-five years to life, but he returned after seven years, following a personal transformation that brought him back to faith.
When he came home, she stood beside him as they helped turn an abandoned motel in Compton into a church. The work gave her a sense of purpose. It showed her how determination can rebuild both places and people. It also revealed the early spark that would guide her throughout her life: a steady, inner resolve to rise, lead, and build something meaningful from the hardest beginnings.
Building a Career from a Closet Office
Dr. Coppertino’s career began in a tiny walk-in closet after her husband left her with four small children, the youngest still in diapers. She needed income fast, so she turned the closet into an office and used two water drains and a door as a desk. As she recalled, “I started doing taxes to support me and the kids.” She taught herself the work, charged fifteen dollars for short forms and up to forty for long forms, and walked through her neighborhood passing out flyers.
After two years, she added “Internal Revenue Service representation,” which kept her busy year-round. She named her first venture Consumer Financial Services, rented a small office, and built enough demand to hire three tax preparers and a financial planner. Her growing practice later became Coppertino and Associates, and eventually Coppertino and Associates Consulting Group.
A major shift came during a tax seminar. When an attorney misstated depreciation rules, she raised her hand to correct him. The organizers invited her to the front, and by the end of the event, she was approached by two attorneys who said their senior partner wanted to meet her. He later hired her, telling her she was “brilliant but not polished enough.” He even arranged weekly lunches with a Beverly Hills socialite to sharpen her professional presence. She embraced the guidance and soon proved she could excel in any room.
Guiding Businesses toward Clarity and Compliance
At the center of Dr. Coppertino’s work is a mission shaped by both discipline and care. She focuses on helping individuals and businesses meet their tax responsibilities with accuracy and confidence. As she often tells her clients, “Our mission is to see that those who owe the IRS make sure their returns are accurate and that any business operating is doing so correctly.” Her approach is steady, practical, and rooted in making sure people understand what they are signing and why it matters.
She offers counseling on all forms of business structures and often works under retainer, serving as a mentor, consultant, and, when needed, a supportive voice. Startups and small businesses hold a special place in her work. She enjoys guiding them through early decisions, helping them avoid costly mistakes, and giving them tools to build long-term stability.
Her team also focuses on advertising and promotions, helping new business owners understand how to present themselves to the community. She believes visibility can shape opportunity, so she works to “make sure the community knows who is out there in business.” Through clear guidance and consistent support, she positions her clients to operate with integrity and grow with confidence.
Shaping the Person before Shaping the Business
For Dr. Coppertino, real success begins long before revenue or strategy. She believes the first step in building a strong business is shaping the person behind it. In her words, “You must transform the businessman or woman first.” She has seen many people enter business focused only on money, and she knows that mindset rarely leads to long-term stability. Instead, she pushes clients to choose work that aligns with their true calling, not just potential profit.
Her process starts with simple but direct questions. She asks why they chose their field and what they hope their efforts will accomplish. These conversations often reveal gaps between ambition and purpose. She uses those moments to guide clients toward clearer intentions and more honest goals. By grounding business owners in personal clarity, she helps them build companies that reflect who they are and what they genuinely want to create.
Teaching Leaders to Serve Before They Lead
Dr. Coppertino teaches leaders that business begins with service. She reminds them that they are “in business to put the client first and to groom them to live for the sake of others.” She encourages every owner to study their clients closely, understand their needs, and recognize the responsibility that comes with being a guide in someone’s financial or professional life. Whether a client is hungry, homeless, or simply overwhelmed, she expects leaders to show empathy and clarity.
Her own story sets the standard. During one difficult season, she slept in her car for a year so she could keep serving clients without interruption. “No one knew,” she said, and she preferred it that way. Her focus stayed on the people counting on her. That quiet sacrifice shapes how she mentors others today, urging them to lead with humility, purpose, and a willingness to put others first.
Staying Connected to a Changing Business World
As the Marketing and Communications Director for the National African American Missions Council (NAAMC), Dr. Coppertino believes leaders must stay alert to the world around them. She often reminds clients that “global and local outreach is necessary to keep up with world trends.” To her, growth depends on paying attention to who is shaping industries, how they operate, and what keeps them moving forward. She encourages business owners to listen carefully, learn from others, and recognize that the landscape changes faster than most people expect.
She has watched attitudes shift over the years. “Twenty-five years ago, no one cared about the farmer or the immigrant in business,” she said. Today, their roles are recognized, valued, and supported. To her, this change proves that new voices and new experiences can strengthen entire industries. She sees business as a chain where every link matters, and where opportunity expands when people understand one another. As she likes to put it, her latest bio tells that story best.
Keeping Women Visible, Informed, and Empowered
Dr. Coppertino, named a 2024 Black Woman to Watch Worldwide, views her role as extending beyond the business realm. She uses her platform to keep women of every race, age, and background informed, confident, and present in the spaces they serve. She sees visibility as a form of strength, and she stays engaged so she can guide women toward opportunities they might otherwise miss. In her words, her role “affords an opportunity to stay on command to alert women of all races how to stay viable and visible in the world they serve in.”
This commitment is personal. She has spent her life educating, encouraging, and lifting others, and each achievement reminds her that the effort has mattered. As she put it, her journey “has been worth the effort to love others and keep a light shining in my hands to lead their lives in the right direction.” Her purpose is steady, and her dedication is unmistakable.
Creating Space for Honest Dialogue and Bold Voices
One of Dr. Coppertino’s most memorable outreach efforts came during a seminar she organized titled What Is the Future of the Black Woman in America. The event drew a large and eager crowd, and the room quickly filled with energy and expectation. Men attended as well, adding new layers to the conversation. During the discussion, one man challenged the group, saying Black women were not truly interested in their future and that Dr. Coppertino was wasting her time.
She refused to let the comment stand. With calm conviction, she answered, “Your mother stayed the course, giving birth to you in the hope you could help her lead other women to remain sane and look after herself and family. Was her future worth it?” The room shifted. Her response reminded everyone that the conversation was not abstract. It was personal, generational, and deeply important.
Restoring Stability and Finding Joy in Service
Among Dr. Coppertino’s many accomplishments, one stands out as a defining moment. She spent seven months helping a Los Angeles ministry regain its tax-exempt status after years of disorganization and internal confusion. The church had no functioning trustees, no clear leadership, and almost no structure left. She stepped in, untangled the issues, and guided them through every requirement. They regained their standing “in the nick of time,” a result that brought relief to the entire congregation.
Her work there extended beyond paperwork. She taught piano and vocals to elementary school children and even offered dressmaking lessons at the church. These simple additions brought her joy and helped strengthen the community from the inside out. For her, achievement is not only about solving complex problems. It is also about giving people something uplifting to hold onto, especially during seasons of uncertainty.
Living With Purpose after a Season of Hardship
This past year brought Dr. Coppertino one of her most difficult challenges. She spent four months in three different hospitals, facing a level of uncertainty that forced her to look inward. During that time, she made a quiet promise. “Lift me back up and teach me to serve you more,” she prayed. That commitment shaped her outlook once she recovered. With the time and strength she has now, she wants to be an example of faith, endurance, and steady guidance.
She plans to spend the rest of her life preaching, teaching, and living in a way that helps others stay strong for the challenges ahead. To her, this is the clearest expression of purpose. She has already lived a life full of accomplishments as an opera singer, a certified diver, and much more. With a warm laugh, she often says, “What is there left for me to do but look out for others?”
Faith as the Foundation for Every Step Forward
In the final measure of her life and work, Dr. Coppertino leans on the same strength that carried her through childhood, hardship, and every demanding season since. She never looks back with regret. Instead, she lets faith lead each decision. “I beg God to lead the way,” she said, “and so far, he has never failed me yet.” She knows the world can feel frightening, especially for those trying to build something meaningful. Still, she holds firmly to the belief that she is never alone. With quiet certainty, she adds that no matter what comes, “he will never leave me nor forsake me.”
Her faith also shapes her discipline. Even in difficult times, she tithes without hesitation. If she has three dollars, she gives. She believes those small acts have kept her lights on, her car running, and her home secure. To her, faith is not theory. It is survival, strength, and promise.
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