Dr. Margaret Cook

Dr. Margaret Cook is Vice President of Community Resilience and Sustainability. In this role, she develops and manages HARC’s Community Resilience and Sustainability Initiative and supports community engagement and community benefits priorities within HARC projects.

Her research interests include interconnections between water, energy, and climate science and policy. She is also passionate about community resilience and making science accessible to the public. She has led multiple energy, water, resilience, and community benefits projects, including the THRIVE community environmental justice initiative in Port Arthur; a program in Harris and Travis Counties aimed at upgrading homes for climate readiness through weatherization; and the Powered for Good initiative aimed at lowering energy burden through equitable access to solar.

Dr. Cook earned her Doctorate in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin Cockrell School of Engineering with a certificate in Engineering Education in 2018. She earned dual Masters degrees in Public Affairs and Environmental and Water Resources Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from UT-Austin.