Sarah Craven Cook ('95C) has been named the next senior associate vice president for the Emory Alumni Association (EAA), effective in January, the University announced Nov. 21.
Senior Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Susan Cruse named Cook to the position, according to a Nov. 21 University press release. Cook will replace current EAA Vice President Allison Dykes, who was named vice president and secretary of the University last month, also effective in January.
Cook has worked for the EAA since 2001 and served as senior director for Initiatives and Technology since 2007. In that position, Cook has overseen a three-year strategic plan, a new graphic identity through the "I'm In" campaign, the expansion of alumni access to resources and the publication of "The Emory Memory: Traditions, Legacy & Lore," a brief history of Emory, according to the press release.
In 2010, Cook received the Development and Alumni Relations Spirit of Emory Award. She has also served on several projects and committees ranging from the Emory Magazine editorial board to the Center for Women Advisory Board.
In her new role, Cook will oversee the activities of the EAA, which encompasses 28 staff members and the more than 127,000 Emory alumni worldwide.
Cook wrote in an email to the Wheel that she aims to continue to increase the level of alumni engagement with the Emory community as leaders, volunteers and donors.
"The ultimate goal of the Alumni Association is to foster a strong Emory network of both students and alumni around the world," Cook wrote. "My goal is to continue to support our staff in creating the kind of programming, communications and peer-to-peer connections that build on our successful programs to help students and alumni regularly interact and support one another."
Some of the existing programs include Dinner with 12 Strangers, Emory career networking nights hosted in different regions and Homecoming activities, according to Cook.
Away from Emory's campus, Cook said she wants the EAA to build pride among the Emory community by "sharing the inspiring stories of our alumni and students opening doors for one another, impacting their communities and investing in each other's success."
Cook said Emory is an inspiring place to work, and she plans to use her role to inspire others.
"I love to share that the U.S. Poet Laureate is on faculty at Emory, that I can listen to [National Public Radio] and hear Emory graduates and that we have become a model of sustainability in the country," Cook said. "There are dozens of stories like these happening all the time, and I see my role as helping to connect alumni to these stories and to inspire them to share their own."
One benefit of working with the EAA for so long is the ability to both see and affect change, Cook said.
"We are all over social media now because our recent graduates are there, but we are also engaging our oldest graduates in meaningful ways too," Cook said. "I like being part of an organization that is wonderfully dynamic but also values and fosters tradition and history."
Cook said she looks forward to her future in the EAA and is excited to make a positive impact on the alumni community.
"We have a great story to share with alumni and students - that no matter when you graduate, the positive impact the University has on the world is part of your own Emory story," she said.
–By Stephen Fowler
