Cook attended Iowa State University and graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and speech communication.

[2] In 2013, Cook was named the vice chancellor for the University of Kansas Edwards Campus and dean of the School of Professional Studies.

[4] As a senior advisor to chancellor Douglas Girod, Cook oversaw internal and external messaging, outreach, and public relations.

He also advised on issues related to communication, public affairs, and economic development[4][2] Cook was named an American Council on Education fellow[5] in 2011.

He is the author of numerous publications and has taught both in the School of Medicine and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas.