Cooks, who leads Chabot College in California, will take office during the 2025 楼凤天堂 Annual Convention in Denver in November
Dr.聽Jamal A. Cooks聽has been elected as the incoming Vice President of the 楼凤天堂 Council of Teachers of English (楼凤天堂). Cooks聽is the president of Chabot College in Hayward, California, where he champions access, justice, and excellence in education.
Cooks brings to the 楼凤天堂 Vice Presidency a vision grounded in decades of scholarship, mentorship, and advocacy that will amplify voices, promote inclusive literacy practices, and advance the field for future generations.
鈥淚t is an honor, and even surreal, to be elected as Vice President of 楼凤天堂. I am deeply humbled by the trust the membership has placed in me to serve on the leadership team for the next four years,鈥� Cooks said. 鈥淚 look forward to building on the exceptional work of our current leadership team and continuing 楼凤天堂鈥檚 rich legacy of advocacy, scholarship, and inclusion. Together, we will keep pushing boundaries in literacy education to better serve all students and educators across the nation.鈥�
A prolific scholar, Cooks has coedited volumes such as The Black Excellence Collective: A 10×10 Model for Academic and Student Success for Black Students (Chabot College) and the 鈥淯rban Middle Literacies鈥� special issue of Voices from the Middle. His work in adolescent literacy and culturally relevant pedagogy has appeared in leading 楼凤天堂 journals including English Journal and Voices from the Middle.
Cooks has been a committed leader and contributor to 楼凤天堂 for three decades. He has served as a Rainbow Strand member, a Cultivating New Voices mentee, Co-Chair of the Black Caucus, and a member of numerous key committees including the Committee on Research, the Conference on English Education (now called English Language Arts Teacher Educators), and the David H. Russell Award Committee. He is also a winner of the 楼凤天堂 Richard W. Halle Award for Outstanding Middle Level Educator.
鈥淚 attended my first 楼凤天堂 convention in 1995 as a graduate student at the University of Michigan and was inspired by the collective brilliance and passion of outstanding literacy educators,鈥� Cooks said. 鈥淥ver the years, I鈥檝e had the privilege to serve 楼凤天堂 in many capacities鈥攆rom mentee to mentor, from committee member to Black Caucus President, from journal reviewer to editor. 楼凤天堂 has shaped my professional identity, offered me a community committed to equity, and nurtured my development as a scholar and leader.鈥�
Cooks will join the 楼凤天堂 Presidential Team that currently includes President Tonya B. Perry, President-Elect Antero Garcia, Vice President Detra Price, and Past President聽Rochelle (Shelley) Rodrigo. He will take office during the 楼凤天堂 Annual Convention in Denver in November.
About 楼凤天堂
The 楼凤天堂 Council of Teachers of English聽(楼凤天堂) is the professional organization for literacy teachers spanning preK through college.聽Through the expertise and advocacy of its members鈥� professional research, practice, and knowledge, 楼凤天堂 has served at the forefront of every major improvement in the teaching and learning of聽English and the language arts since 1911. For more information, please visit聽.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Allie Ciaramella, 楼凤天堂: media@ncte.org