Derek Cook
Director at Canadian Poverty Institute at Ambrose University
Derek Cook serves as the Director of the Canadian Poverty Institute at Ambrose University in Calgary where he also teaches courses in Community Development and Poverty Studies. Previously he served as the Executive Director of the Calgary Poverty Reduction Initiative, leading the Mayor’s task force on poverty. He has extensive experience in social research and policy development as a Social Planner at The City of Calgary, particularly in the areas of poverty and inequality, diversity and sustainability. Derek has also worked as a community development worker with various organizations across Canada in the fields of adult literacy, immigrant settlement and employment development. He holds a B.A. in Political Studies from McGill University, an M.Sc. in Rural Planning and Development and a Certificate in Knowledge Mobilization from the University of Guelph and is a Registered Social Worker (RSW) with the Alberta College of Social Workers. Derek is an Honorary Fellow of the Institute for Poverty Research and Management at the University of Malaysia Kelantan and the recipient of the William Irvine Award for Social and Environmental Justice.
