Nichelle Cook

Nichelle N. Cook is the Owner of Practegy, LLC, a boutique educational consulting firm specializing in instructional design, program/project management, academic coaching, and event planning. Ms. Cook passionately works to address social equity and social justice issues, which include improving access to equitable health services, promoting rehabilitative justice among youth, and improving support structures for students navigating behavioral and intellectual challenges. Currently, she serves as a Board Member of CASA Jefferson, Inc., is an Executive Council member of Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education (KDP), and serves as the Secretary of the NAACP Orleans Chapter - Young Adult Division. She is also a voting member of the American Education Research Association (AERA) and a member of the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC).

Ms. Cook is a native of Kentwood, LA and an alumna of Spelman College, having earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science as a Dean’s Scholar in 2009. She also graduated from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law with a Juris Doctorate in 2013 and Xavier University of Louisiana with Master degrees in Educational Leadership & Administration and Curriculum & Instruction in 2016 and 2018, respectively. While at Loyola, Nichelle worked as a Research Assistant, rechartered the Entrepreneurial Business Law Society, and served as secretary of the Healthcare Law Alliance. Committed to public interest, she spent two summers interning at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (Hammond Office) and Health Law Advocates of LA through the Gillis Long internship program. Additionally, in 2011 she received the Law Excellence Award for earning the highest grade in Poverty Law. Following graduation, she worked as a Research Associate to then-Dean Maria Lopez helping to design the framework for Loyola’s Healthcare Law Certificate program.

As a graduate student at Xavier, Nichelle served as President of Kappa Delta Pi’s Alpha Zeta Iota Chapter. Under her leadership from 2016-2018, the chapter earned several national distinctions for its service throughout the Greater New Orleans community and signature events geared toward advancing equity in urban education and strengthening family literacy. In recognition of her achievements as Chapter President, Nichelle received KDP’s Distinguished Chapter Officer award which was presented during the 2019 National Convocation held in Norfolk, VA. At present, Nichelle serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at Morris Brown College. She continues to advocate for education and healthcare equity through public speaking, volunteering and providing academic support to community youth.