Malissa Cook

Malissa Cook is a former special educator turned stay-at-home mom. She graduated from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, with a degree in Special Education and obtained her master’s degree in Special Education Administration from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Oklahoma.  Her career began as a Special Education Paraprofessional within a Developmental Delay classroom.  She has taught in a special education classroom in a brick-and-mortar setting as well as a virtual setting.  She served as the Associate State Director over Compliance Monitoring, Dispute Resolution (including Written Formal Complaints, Due Process, and Mediation), Response to Intervention, Personnel Development, and Special Education Paraprofessionals at the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Special Education Services for over eight years. Her experience spans ages and disability areas, as she has taught elementary, and high school, and was a camp counselor for many years working with youth and adults with disabilities. Her experience with individuals with disabilities became a full-circle experience with the birth of her third child, Alissa.  Alissa has Down syndrome and is the youngest of three children.  Jay III (age 15), Cooper (age 13), and Alissa (age 10) are Malissa’s most treasured accomplishments along with her husband, Jay.  Jay and Malissa have been married for 25 years and are originally from the eastern part of the State. Malissa’s passion for serving people with disabilities was put to fruition by her mother-in-law, who was a special education director, and her sister-in-law, who is an adult with a disability.  Her journey began with her mother-in-law giving her words to live by, “It takes a ‘special’ person to work with individuals with disabilities.”  Malissa has been doing it ever since on and off the clock!