Adele Cook

Chief Learning Officer Arizona Department of Economic Security

Adele Cook is a learning leader with more than 25 years’ experience in both the private and public sector. For the past 18 years, she has worked for the citizens of Arizona with the Maricopa County, the Arizona Department of Administration, and Arizona Department of Economic Security.

She oversees a team of 130 learning professionals who provide more than 450 learning products to the 7,600 employees of the State’s social safety net. The training and other development provided covers leadership, job-readiness, onboarding, and compliance training, as well as self-directed professional development intended to allow employees to reach their own goals, not just the organization’s goals.

Over the years, Adele has found her unique value in turning around underperforming organizations, and continuing the drive to the next level: driving engagement, improving processes, quality and timeliness, and driving overall organizational change through training. The mission of her unit says it all: changing lives through learning experiences. She is proud to be a part of the learning industry: enabling learning is a noble pursuit, and when it is done to support the vulnerable, it becomes a noble calling. Adele has been married for 16 years and has a college-aged stepdaughter; her father lives with her and she cares for him.