Joe Cook is a graduate of the College of Engineering and was named a Torchbearer as a senior in college. Cook worked for Eli Lilly for nearly thirty years, during which time he held numerous senior level positions. At his retirement, Cook was vice president for Global Operations and had also served on the US International Trade Commission as part of the President’s Executive Exchange program.
After retirement, Cook began working in the biotechnology industry as a strategy consultant and later as a chairman and chief executive officer of a San Francisco-based company directing the development of new diabetes drugs.
In 2002, Cook co-founded a private equity firm focused on companies based in the Southeast as well as competing for the T N Investco program—a state program with a pool of venture capital funds to develop Tennessee’s entrepreneurial structure and bring additional capital to the state.
Cook serves UT as a longtime member of the college’s board of advisors. Dean Wayne Davis said of his work, “Joe’s service to UT has been constant and steadfast. His leadership on the Board of Advisors is much deeper than the official role he plays. It is to Joe that many of the members look for insight. When challenges arise, Joe’s many networks have proven invaluable for the college.”
Cook and his wife, Judy, have established a scholarship within the college and he has also served as the commencement speaker, encouraging “heritage, integrity and stewardship” to the graduates. He is chairman of Mercy Ministries International, a faith-based global ministry, and is a national board member of the American Diabetes Association.
