After growing up on a small family dairy farm in Central PA, Ms. Cook earned a BA in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Southeastern Academy in Kissimmee, FL. She began her career as a front desk clerk and supervisor in select-service hotels branded by Best Western and Days Inn, then worked for luxury resorts such as Mt. Airy Lodge. After joining Marriott in 1990, she worked her way up from Night Audit Supervisor at the Greenbelt Marriott to various Front Office Management positions for prominent properties such as Marriott’s Lincolnshire and Mountain Shadows resorts and the Marriott San Ramon.

After joining Marriott’s corporate-level Learning & Development team in 1998, Cook designed and delivered instructor lead training courses, self-paced eLearning, and property coach classes for all Marriott brands from focused service through the luxury portfolio. She has also assisted with grand openings and brand conversions for prominent properties such as the JW Marriott/Ritz-Carlton Grand Lakes, and for Autograph Collection and Gaylord Resorts properties.

Ms. Cook is an AH&LA Certified Hospitality Trainer (CHT) and an accomplished member of Toastmasters International, having achieved the highest level of DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster).