Vickie S. Cook, Ph.D.
Senior Fellow of AI Leadership and Strategic Consulting, UPCEA and Research Professor Emerita, University of Illinois Springfield.
Vickie Cook is a nationally recognized higher education leader specializing in enrollment strategy, online and digital learning, organizational transformation, team development, and leadership growth. With more than three decades of experience across university and system, private and community college settings, she has led large-scale academic, strategic, and operational initiatives that have strengthened institutional capacity. Most recently, Dr. Cook served as the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment & Retention Management at the University of Illinois Springfield. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and an M.S. in Adult Education.
Dr. Cook has been actively engaged in providing consulting in strategic enrollment, digital transformation and leadership capacity building with educational leaders across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. She has provided consultation to over 55 institutions seeking to expand or evaluate their online learning programs and leadership. Her recent publications on AI leadership in enrollment management, digital transformation, and credential innovation. Her work has been recognized with multiple honors, including the 2024 The Mildred B. and Charles A. Wedemeyer Award for Outstanding Practitioner in Distance Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UPCEA.