Marian Cook

Marian Cook is a visionary thinker and practical strategist helping public and private sector enterprises to thrive in the future. She is a leader, educator and consultant, always at the intersection of emerging technologies, organizational change and what's next.

Currently, she leads a global team of executive education experts at 2U, a world leader in online  education, and as Head Program Instructor for MIT and Yale on emerging technology, digital transformation and leadership courses, Adjunct Professor on digital transformation for Illinois Institute of Technology’s Executive MBA program, and management consultant to Fortune 500s,  start-ups and governments.

With the majority of her career in the private sector focused on digital disruption and innovation, she was asked to work for the Governor as the Chief Strategy Officer, Innovation & Technology, for the  State of Illinois. There she co-led the creation of a vision and roadmap for a ‘Smart State’ powered  by transformation in policy, talent, technology and partnerships in the innovation ecosystem. Illinois  is the first state in the United States to have developed such a vision leveraging Smart Cities concepts state-wide.

Her career has consistently been at the intersections of emerging technology, business, innovation and what’s next. She is a frequent and highly rated speaker and learning facilitator on exponential  thinking, innovation, leadership, and emerging technologies as ways to help organizations make the transition from a linear to an exponential world.