Charles E. Cook III was named Feb. 2 to be the chief financial officer of the Homeland Security Department. He has been a federal senior executive for 20 years and served as the acting assistant secretary of the Navy (Financial Management & Comptroller) from April 2013 through August 2013, according to his nomination announcement. He became principal deputy assistant secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) in September 2011, according to a 2014 report by Federal News Radio. On Feb. 5, Cook’s nomination went to the Senate, which must confirm it.
Currently president of C. Cook Advisory Services, LLC in Silver Spring, Md., Cook previously managed programming, budgeting, execution and chief financial officer duties for the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and the Marine Corps. Cook entered the Senior Executive Service in June 1995, and spent more than 30 years supporting the defense financial management community in various commands since 1978, according to a 2012 report in the Navy CHIPS magazine.
Cook holds a BA in business administration and accounting from Northeastern University and received Presidential Rank Awards for his accomplishments in federal service in 2007 and 2011. He also sits on the board of advisors of Sehlke Consulting Services.
