Clayton R. Cook

Clayton R. Cook

Clayton R. Cook, PhD, is the chief development officer at CharacterStrong, an organization that aims to create a more loving world through education by designing low-burden, high-impact multitiered solutions. Dr. Cook has been a professor and researcher at three universities—Louisiana State University, the University of Washington, and the University of Minnesota—studying topics such as youth mental health, educator well-being and resilience, SEL, and implementation of evidence-based practices. He has obtained over $20 million in grant funding for his research and published more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles, producing scholarship that has influenced everyday policy and practice in schools. He has delivered more than 40 keynote presentations and conducted numerous breakout sessions to educational leaders, teachers, and support staff.

Dr. Cook formerly held the John W. and Nancy E. Peyton Faculty Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Well-Being at the University of Minnesota and also co-founded the School Mental Health Assessment, Research, and Training Center at the University of Washington. His work has been featured in the New York Times, TIME, NPR, Edutopia, and other outlets.