-Photo courtesy of ISU
Dr. David Cook is Iowa State University's 17th president.

AMES — The 17th president of Iowa State University departed North Dakota and headed back to his old stompin’ grounds of Ames.

Dr. David Cook, an Ames native and Iowa State alumnus, officially stepped into the president’s role at ISU the first of March.

From May 2022 to February 2026, Cook served as president of North Dakota State University, leading the institution to stabilize enrollment after years of decline and improve retention rates.

Before that position, Cook held executive leadership roles at the University of Kansas, including as vice chancellor for public affairs and economic development, and vice chancellor of the KU Edwards Campus, serving as a top senior advisor to Chancellor Douglas Girod. He also spent 14 years at the University of Kansas Medical Center, where he earned tenure in the School of Medicine.

“Both my wife and I are very thrilled to be back home; it’s very surreal,” Cook said. “We’re excited to get back to the university that created so many memories, created so many opportunities, and changed our lives in so many ways. It’s nice to get back to family. It’s a special opportunity.”

-Photo by Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University
President David Cook and Dr. Katie Cook visit with members of the President’s Leadership Class at The Knoll on March 3 during the first week of Cook’s presidency.

Cook also serves on the boards of the Big 12 Conference, America’s Cultivation Corridor, Bankers Trust and the World Food Prize Foundation. He holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and speech communication from Iowa State University and a master’s and doctoral degree in organizational communication from the University of Kansas.

“There have been a lot of amazing new facilities created on the Iowa State campus and absolutely incredible growth,” Cook said.

As a premier land-grant institution established in 1858, Cook said he’s honored to be at the helm of Iowa State with all of its leadership and innovation in agriculture and other industries. Iowa State enrolls more than 31,000 students, secures nearly $550 million in annual external funding, including competitive research grants and contracts, serves more than 1 million Iowans annually through Extension and outreach programs in all 99 Iowa counties, and contributes more than $6 billion each year to Iowa’s economy.

“I love leading a land-grant institution. I care about access to education, preparing students for the workforce and the role we play in the Extension offices across 99 counties that we are fortunate to have in place. Agriculture is key — we play a critical role in helping shape agriculture, and how we help farmers across the state in turn has an economic impact on the state and beyond,” Cook said. “Iowa State is doing amazing things in the ag engineering and ag tech space. It’s not just the ag and engineering areas, but liberal arts, social sciences and humanities. We’re graduating well-rounded students who will look at the challenges in ag and help us think differently, be creative and change the world.”

Iowa State University sits ninth in the nation for undergraduate entrepreneurship programs out of 300 public and private universities by the Princeton Review. To continue Iowa State’s forward movement and considerable strides in all areas, Cook said he plans to spend his first 100 days as president focusing on listening and learning.

-Photo by Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University
Iowa State carillonneur and professor of music, Tin-Shi Tam, left, shows President David Cook what notes to play as his wife, Dr. Katie Cook, cheers them on inside the Campanile playing cabin on Cook's first day as 17th president of Iowa State University. Tam played a selection of music for them to welcome them to Iowa State.

“I plan to understand the opportunities and challenges across all our missions. President (Wendy) Wintersteen did a wonderful job preparing me and Interim President (David) Spalding did the same thing. I’ve had a lot of material to read, I’ve been attending a number of meetings, and had quite a few back and forth trips,” Cook said. “They’ve both done a great job of preparing me, so when my first day arrived, I felt really good about it. But I’ll be listening first and foremost to build on the amazing foundation already set before me.”

In respect to the college of agriculture, Cook said he’s looking forward to continuing to build upon the public and private partnerships Iowa State carves out, furthering the research and ground work on subjects important to farmers and Iowans, such as the impact of nitrogen fertilizer and water quality, opportunities for renewables and more.

“I’m very excited about the Digital Ag Innovation Lab and all the work we do there, the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, the Bioeconomy Institution, Planter University — we do all this amazing work here and I plan to learn more about what I can do to help support them and keep the robust work going,” Cook said.

He added that he’s “extremely excited” about the work coming out of the vet diagnostic lab, too, as well as other avenues at the university.

“Looking at what we can do to prepare ahead of time, if there’s a future outbreak, producing the next vaccine or faster testing. There’s been quite a significant bit of research done in critical water quality and showing the effectiveness of on-field practice, such as prairie strips, cover crops and buffers,” Cook said. “The Bioeconomy Institute plays a critical role in transforming renewable waste products into something that makes a difference.”

He and his wife also have enjoyed watching the newborn foals born this spring on campus and the playful posts on social media that introduce them to followers.

“My wife has been updating me on the newborn foals,” Cook said.

Past and present Cyclones have their favorite hot spots on campus and around town for dining, shopping and relaxing. Cook said one of his favorite places to eat happens to be right there on campus.

“We’ve done it once and I’ll be doing it over and over again — we love going to the dining halls. My wife and I eat there because it’s a great way to engage with the students and staff,” Cook said. “I want to be approachable and meet everyone. Our dining staff make it different every day, and it’s absolutely one of my most favorite things to do.”