Mr. Robert T. Cook is currently serving as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller. He advises the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller, and through the Assistant Secretary, the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff, on all matters related to Army financial management comptrollership, with an emphasis on Financial Statement Audit, Risk Management and Internal Controls, Internal Review, Financial Information Management (Systems), and Financial Operations.
Mr. Cook has extensive experience in the private sector as a financial management executive and led large/complex financial services organizations. He most recently served as a Partner at Kearney and Company, one of the largest Certified Public Accounting firms in the country that provides a myriad of financial, information technology, and program management services focused on the federal government. Prior to that, he was a Director in Grant Thornton’s federal practice, providing audit and audit support services to the DoD and the Social Security Administration. His other private industry experience included serving as Director, Government Services, Lockheed Martin Information Technology, where he led the outsourced DoD military retired pay operations—with a workforce of over 650 personnel who provided retired pay services for 2.2 million military retirees and their annuitants globally.
He served over 26 years in the Army and has held a variety of command and staff positions including Commander, Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Antonio and Commander, 177th Finance Battalion, Republic of South Korea. His staff position includes serving as Chief, Financial Operations for the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Joint Field Support; Aide and Military Assistant to Mr. Joe Reeder, Under Secretary of the Army; Military Analyst, Army G8, Program Analysis and Evaluation; and Division Chief, Operations and Maintenance Appropriation, Army Budget Office.
Mr. Cook is a Certified Information Systems Auditor and Certified Defense Financial Manager. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration from The American University, a Master of Science in Resourcing National Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Hampton University.