Christian Cook

Certifications and Designations
PROSCI Certified Change Management Professional (CM)
CPHR (Chartered Professional in Human Resources)
SHRM – SCP (Society for Human Resource Management, Senior Certified Professional)
ICD.D (Institute of Corporate Directors, Director designation)
MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator) Step I & II Certified Facilitator
Certificate (seminar series) in Adult Learning, MRU (Continuing Education)

BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Cook's teaching focus is in the field of human resources (HR) and her expertise is greatest in the areas of HR strategy, employee relations, leadership development, adult learning, employee performance, and organizational learning and development. In 2017, she was the recipient of the MRFA Teaching Excellence Award. Prior to a career transition to teaching and research, she worked for over twenty years across several large, international organizations and has held the Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation for 20+ years. She is additionally designated as a Senior Certified Professional through the Society for HR Management (SHRM - USA). She draws on a wide range of practitioner experiences and research foundations to provide a dynamic and engaging environment for participants in her university classes and professional workshops. She is frequently sought after for media commentary and industry/professional speaking engagements.

In May 2020, Dr. Cook was appointed as the Academic Director of MRU’s Academic Development Centre (ADC) and while she maintains her professorship in Human Resources and connections to the Bissett School of Business, she is fully seconded to lead the ADC. The ADC serves the entire campus to support the institution's commitment to teaching excellence and academic development through several collaborative teams including academic media, learning technologies, instructional design, faculty and
educational development, and the Mokakiiks Centre for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Dr. Cook is active in the MRU and Calgary community and has served the CPHR Alberta membership through leadership and participation on the Experience Validation Committee, Mentorship Committee, Discipline & Ethics Committee, Recertification Audit Committee, and through facilitating preparatory workshops for members intending to sit the CPHR National Knowledge Exam. She holds the ICD.D designation, reflecting her commitment to good governance, and has served on several boards including the Women in Need Society (as a board member and society director, committee chair, and board chair), and the Credit Union Deposit Guarantee Corporation (as a board member, and chair of the Governance and Human Resources Committee).

Her research interests and professional experience include the scholarship of teaching and learning, transformative learning, leadership development and emerging leaders, job rotation as a leadership development intervention, professional identity, burnout, HR strategy, and employment relationships. She has been the recipient of numerous competitive research grants and while serving as the ADC's Academic Director, Dr. Cook continues to supervise students in Bissett's BBA Honours Degree program.

Teaching Experience (MRU)
Strategic Human Resource Management
Employee Relations
Organizational Learning & Development
Recruitment & Selection
Introduction to Human Resources
Management Principles & Practices

Recent/Current MRU Service
Councillor, General Faculties Council (GFC)
Chair, Teaching and Learning Committee (TLC)
Chair, BBA HR Program Review
Chair, Celebrate! Teaching and Learning
Member, Academic Working Group (team assembled to address academic response to Covid-19)
Member, Learning Management System (LMS) Renewal Project Steering Committee
Business Lead, Learning Management System (LMS) Renewal Project
Vice Chair, MRFA Collective Bargaining/Negotiations Committee
Board Member, Journal of Transformative Learning (USA) Editorial Board