Sarah E. Cook has been named the new President and CEO by the Board of Directors of 18 Degrees. Originally from Boston, Ms. Cook is a graduate of Princeton University and The London School of Economics. Her career has focused on providing opportunity to underserved populations in Boston and most recently in Austin, Texas, where her leadership concentrated on creating access to health care. Ms. Cook brings with her extensive experience in strategic planning and operations oversight. Additionally, her dedication and proven ability to address socioeconomic inequalities make her an excellent choice to continue the positive momentum of 18 Degrees.  

The President and CEO appointment is the result of an extensive national search. The Search Committee of the Board of Directors, comprised of a diverse membership, culled through hundreds of resumes before conducting hours of interviews, both on Zoom and in person. Throughout the process, the Committee was continually impressed with Ms. Cook’s wealth of knowledge, leadership beliefs and practices, and ability to advance organizational missions.  

Ms. Cook states that she is: “thrilled to move back to Massachusetts and join the team at 18 Degrees as its new President & CEO. I’m grateful to the Board for this opportunity and look forward to ensuring our staff have the resources they need to continue their excellent work serving our community’s children, youth, and families.”  Ms. Cook will begin her tenure on July 6, 2021.  

18 Degrees promotes the well-being and strengths of children, young people, adults, and families to build better communities in Western Massachusetts.  We provide education, parenting skills and support, prevention and intervention, advocacy, and life skills across a spectrum of programs serving young people, adults, and families in four areas: early education and care; foster care and adoption; child and family well-being; youth and community development.