Suzan Johnson Cook - Early Life and Education

Early Life and Education

Johnson Cook was raised in Bronx, New York the second of two children. Her father was one of the first black trolley drivers in New York City before opening a security agency and her mother was a public school teacher in Harlem for twenty-two years. Her family was deeply religious and pushed towards excellence in academics, with both she and her older brother, who went on to attend Dartmouth College, skipping grades during their school years. Johnson also attended the elite Riverdale Country Day School. Johnson graduated high school at sixteen, attending Fisk University before transferring to Emerson College, graduating in 1976 with a degree in speech. She then earned a master's degree in educational technology from Columbia University. She also received early experience in politics, helping her brother win a seat in the New York State Assembly. She later earned another master's degree from Union Theological Seminary in 1983 and a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary in 1990, where she was taught by Samuel DeWitt Proctor and graduated with figures such as Otis Moss Jr. and Jeremiah Wright. She is also a graduate of the Minority Business Executive Program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.