Ken Cook
Encyclopedia
Ken Cook is president and co-founder of the Environmental Working Group
(EWG), a public interest research and advocacy organization focused on protecting human health and the environment. Cook is the author of dozens of articles, opinion pieces and reports on environmental, public health and agricultural topics, including Mulch, a blog about food and agriculture policy. The sustainable food blog Chews Wise has referred to Cook as the "ag-wonk-meister"l.
Cook has been listed several times as one of Washington's Top Lobbyists by The Hill
, an influential Washington, DC, political journal. He is a frequent source of environmental perspective and commentary in national print and broadcast media and has made frequent appearances on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, CBS's 60 Minutes, National Public Radio, and the evening newscasts of ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN among other programs.
Cook is known for his decades of research and advocacy to reform agriculture policy to advance conservation and environmental protection. At the onset of debate over the 1995 Farm Bill, a front-page story in The Des Moines Register named Cook as one of the five most influential players in agricultural policy, alongside then-Senator Bob Dole
, Leon Panetta
(then the head of the Office of Management and Budget), then USDA Secretary Mike Espy
, and former Farm Bureau head Dean Kleckner. A front-page profile in The Omaha World Herald in 1996 said, "Cook's fingerprints can be found on nearly two decades of U.S. farm law." In 2000, Progressive Farmer
named Cook one of agriculture's most influential leaders in the 20th Century, alongside advocates like Rachel Carson
and Aldo Leopold
.
Cook graduated from the University of Missouri - Columbia with an M.S. in Soil Science. He is married to environmental leader Deb Callahan
.
Environmental Working Group
The Environmental Working Group is an American environmental organization that specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of toxic chemicals, agricultural subsidies, public lands, and corporate accountability...
(EWG), a public interest research and advocacy organization focused on protecting human health and the environment. Cook is the author of dozens of articles, opinion pieces and reports on environmental, public health and agricultural topics, including Mulch, a blog about food and agriculture policy. The sustainable food blog Chews Wise has referred to Cook as the "ag-wonk-meister"l.
Cook has been listed several times as one of Washington's Top Lobbyists by The Hill
The Hill (newspaper)
The Hill, a subsidiary of News Communications Inc., is a newspaper published in Washington, D.C. since 1994.Its first editor was Martin Tolchin, a veteran correspondent in the Washington bureau of The New York Times....
, an influential Washington, DC, political journal. He is a frequent source of environmental perspective and commentary in national print and broadcast media and has made frequent appearances on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, CBS's 60 Minutes, National Public Radio, and the evening newscasts of ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN among other programs.
Cook is known for his decades of research and advocacy to reform agriculture policy to advance conservation and environmental protection. At the onset of debate over the 1995 Farm Bill, a front-page story in The Des Moines Register named Cook as one of the five most influential players in agricultural policy, alongside then-Senator Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
, Leon Panetta
Leon Panetta
Leon Edward Panetta is the 23rd and current United States Secretary of Defense, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama since 2011. Prior to taking office, he served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency...
(then the head of the Office of Management and Budget), then USDA Secretary Mike Espy
Mike Espy
Alphonso Michael "Mike" Espy is a former United States political figure. From 1987 to 1993, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi. He served as the Secretary of Agriculture from 1993 to 1994. He was the first African American Secretary of Agriculture...
, and former Farm Bureau head Dean Kleckner. A front-page profile in The Omaha World Herald in 1996 said, "Cook's fingerprints can be found on nearly two decades of U.S. farm law." In 2000, Progressive Farmer
Progressive Farmer
DTN/The Progressive Farmer is a country life oriented magazine, published twelve times a year by DTN, a division of Telvent. The magazine is based in Birmingham, Alabama.-History:...
named Cook one of agriculture's most influential leaders in the 20th Century, alongside advocates like Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson
Rachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement....
and Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold was an American author, scientist, ecologist, forester, and environmentalist. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and is best known for his book A Sand County Almanac , which has sold over two million copies...
.
Cook graduated from the University of Missouri - Columbia with an M.S. in Soil Science. He is married to environmental leader Deb Callahan
Deb Callahan
Deb Callahan is an American environmental and political leader. Currently she is the president of the Heinz Center, a Washington, DC, nonprofit institution dedicated to improving the scientific and economic foundation for environmental policy....
.