Baylor Alumni Speaker Series with Dr. Nate Cook

Join us on August 12, 2026, from 6:00–7:00 pm CT for another Baylor Alumni Speaker Series (BASS) talk featuring Dr. Nate Cook (EdD ’24), an alumnus of the EdD in Learning and Organizational Change program at Baylor University.

When you take on a new leadership role or step into a complex organization, how do you actually start driving change without breaking the culture? For busy graduate students and professionals, finding time to sit through another abstract lecture is tough, which is why this session gets straight to the practical reality. Dr. Nate Cook will share how he took 28 years of elite military leadership and his doctoral frameworks from Baylor to establish the role of Chief Strategy Officer from scratch at a major national association. Join us for an open, honest conversation about what it really takes to lead an organization through transition, build trust through authentic leadership, and hit the ground running on day one.

About The Speaker

Dr. Nate Cook brings nearly three decades of hands-on, high-stakes leadership experience to the Speaker Series, including:

• 28 Years of Military Leadership: Retired U.S. Army officer who led combat deployments in the Middle East and Afghanistan, coordinated strategic planning with the U.S. Congress, and designed the military's executive training programs.

• Corporate Executive Experience: Chief Strategy Officer for the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), where he oversees national strategic planning and synchronizes advocacy across policy, federal and state government relations, and public affairs.

• Organizational Change Expertise: A Baylor EdD-LOC graduate who actively applies advanced organizational design and change models to real-world corporate strategy and talent management.

ABOUT BAYLOR ALUMNI SPEAKER SERIES

Hosted by the School of Education's Online Learning Unit, the Baylor Alumni Speaker Series (BASS) is an opportunity to showcase the voices and expertise of alumni from any Baylor University doctoral program. Designed to inspire, inform, and connect, this series brings together alumni and current graduate students for meaningful conversations around leadership, career development, and personal growth. BASS is hosted virtually on Zoom and is open to all Baylor University faculty, staff, graduate students, and alumni.