Â鶹ÊÓƵAPK proudly announces the appointment of Judge Deborah Cook ’74, ‘78, ‘96 to its Board of Trustees. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine appointed Cook to a term effective July 2, 2025. Her appointment will fill the vacancy created by the expiration of Trustee Lewis W. Adkins Jr.’s term on July 1.
“I welcome Judge Deborah Cook to the Board of Trustees,” said President R.J. Nemer. “As fellow multiple-time UA alumni, we share a commitment to serve the University, and I look forward to working with her in the coming years.”
Cook also shared her excitement about the appointment, saying "I am pleased to have this opportunity to help advance the university that launched my career.”
Cook has served as a U.S. Circuit Court judge since 2003, gaining senior status on Sept. 30, 2021. President George W. Bush nominated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Chief Circuit Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton recently appointed Cook to serve on the New Judges Committee.
Prior to her appointment to the Sixth Circuit, she served for more than a decade as an Ohio Supreme Court justice and for several years before that as an Ohio appeals court judge.
Cook earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctor degree from Â鶹ÊÓƵAPK. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree from the University in 1996 and received a University of Â鶹ÊÓƵAPKAlumni Honor Award in 1997. She was president of UA’s senior class of 1974 as an undergraduate.
Cook is the past president and treasurer of the Â鶹ÊÓƵAPKBar Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the Â鶹ÊÓƵAPKBar Association, and has also served as an Â鶹ÊÓƵAPKBar Foundation fellow. She has held a number of Â鶹ÊÓƵAPKBar Association committee assignments, including ABAF Project, Business & Corporate Law, Common Pleas Court, Community Relations, Continuing Legal Education, Ethics, the Grievance and Investigative Subcommittee, Law Week, Lawyers’ Assistance, Long Range Planning, Member Services, Membership, Sustaining Member, Trial Practice Section and Young Lawyers.
Her honors and awards include the Thomas More Award, Â鶹ÊÓƵAPKBar Association Judicial Pioneer Award, Delta Gamma National Shield Award for Leadership and Volunteerism, Women’s Network 1991 Woman of the Year, and the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership and Academic Honorary.
Cook is the co-founder of Collegescholars, Inc., and she has a deep record of community service to state and local organizations. She has served as the chair of the Ohio Commission on Public Legal Education, a member of the Summit County United Way Board of Trustees, president of the Volunteer Center Board of Trustees, Women's Network Board of Directors member, chair of the Junior Leadership Â鶹ÊÓƵAPKProject, Board of Trustees member for Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, and Catholic Community Foundation Board of Directors.
Media contact: Cristine Boyd, cboyd@uakron.edu, 330-972-6476