Dr. Tracy M. Cook, president of Alcorn State University, has been recognized as a top minority business leader by the Delta Business Journal. The journal highlights leaders in the Mississippi Delta region who demonstrate leadership, experience, and community involvement.
Cook expressed his appreciation for working in education. “The greatest privilege of serving in education is witnessing our students’ transformation,” Cook said. “When I see our freshmen arrive and watch them throughout their journey here and then have the honor of shaking their hands at graduation after achieving their goals, I’m reminded why I do this work.”
Cook became president on April 1, 2024, following a period as interim president that began in July 2023. His appointment was made by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees after he held several leadership roles at Alcorn State University over nearly ten years, including vice president of student affairs.
With almost three decades in educational administration, Cook previously worked as superintendent and in other roles within Jefferson and Claiborne County school districts before returning to Alcorn State University as chief of staff in 2015.
His service includes membership on boards such as the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents and the Mississippi Alliance of Black School Educators. He also served as a trustee for Copiah-Lincoln Community College and co-founded the Southwest Mississippi Educator Conference.
Cook has received multiple honors: the Southwestern Athletic Conference Alumni Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023; the Doctoral Leadership Initiative Honoring Excellence Award in 2024; and inclusion among Our Mississippi Magazine’s Most Influential African Americans for 2025.
“Equally rewarding are the relationships that I am able to build with our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of Alcorn State University,” Cook said. “These connections remind me that education is truly about a commitment to investing in others.”
A native of Fayette, Cook graduated from Jefferson County High School and earned three degrees from Alcorn: a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics (1994), a master’s degree in agronomy (1996), and another master’s degree in educational administration and supervision (1998). He later completed specialist and doctoral degrees from William Carey University.
In addition to his academic accomplishments, Cook was inducted into the Alcorn Sports Hall of Fame in 2015 for his achievements as one of the university’s top football athletes.
He is married to Dr. Crystal N. Cook; they have two children.
