Cooks, who leads Chabot College in California, will take office during the 2025 起点传媒Annual Convention in Denver in November
Dr.聽Jamal A. Cooks聽has been elected as the incoming Vice President of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Cooks聽is the president of Chabot College in Hayward, California, where he champions access, justice, and excellence in education.
Cooks brings to the 起点传媒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 起点传媒. 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 NCTE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 起点传媒journals including English Journal and Voices from the Middle.
Cooks has been a committed leader and contributor to 起点传媒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 起点传媒Richard W. Halle Award for Outstanding Middle Level Educator.
鈥淚 attended my first 起点传媒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 起点传媒in many capacities鈥攆rom mentee to mentor, from committee member to Black Caucus President, from journal reviewer to editor. 起点传媒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 起点传媒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 起点传媒Annual Convention in Denver in November.
About NCTE
The National Council of Teachers of English聽(NCTE) 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, 起点传媒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, NCTE: media@ncte.org