GBCA is proud and thrilled to congratulate Dr. Charles W. Cook on being named the 2019 Outstanding Educator of the Year by the Associated General Contractors of America!
Since 1985, the AGC Education and Research Foundation has recognized annually an educator who makes a significant mark in the field of construction education—both inside and outside of the classroom.
Charles W. Cook has combined a career in the family construction business with an avocation in communications, media, and teaching. Beginning as a laborer, he rose to be President of R. S. Cook and Associates, Inc. Cook is now a Clinical Professor of Construction Management in Drexel University’s College of Engineering.
At a ceremony during the 2019 AGC National Convention in Denver, CO, Cook received a $5,000 cash award. He was also given the opportunity to award two students with $2,500 scholarships for the 2019-2020 academic year. Congratulations to Eric Kasperowicz and Patricio Portillo of Drexel University’s Construction Management Program!
Cook’s long-standing allegiance to AGC of American and the General Building Contractors Association in Philadelphia shows his passion for the continued success and longevity of the construction industry. A member of GBCA’s Board of Directors since 1988, Cook chairs the Education Committee and was honored in 2015 with GBCA’s Distinguished Director Award.
As a member of AGC’s Education Sub-committee and Supervisory Training Committee, Cook helped to develop AGC programs such as PMC, AMP, and PMPD. He continues to work on education projects for AGC and recently helped to review and update the PMC curriculum. He is a regular facilitator for the PMC and has facilitated AGC Leadership Programs. He promotes the work of AGC and of general contractors and uses ConsensusDocs in his classroom to demonstrate the value of contractors’ perspectives.
Cook’s dedication to education in the construction industry extends within and beyond the classroom. His textbook, Successful Contract Administration of Constructors and Design Professionals was published by Routledge Publishing in 2014. Cook has also been actively teaching the history of Philadelphia’s building industry to the public. He wrote, directed, and produced the 2001 Regional Emmy-nominated feature length film, Tête à Tête, about Benjamin Franklin’s secret negotiations with a French spy at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia. The history of the Carpenters’ Company also served as the basis of Blueprint for a Revolution—the Spies at Carpenters’ Hall, a book published in 1996 for young readers, co-authored with Nancy Cook.
To his peers at GBCA, Dr. Cook is an inspiration and motivating force. We are so pleased that he has been recognized and honored by AGC of America’s Education and Research Foundation as the 2019 Outstanding Educator of the Year.
