Thomas M. Cook

Brief Biography

Thomas M. Cook was the thirty-seventh President of The Institute of Management Sciences (TIMS) and ninth President of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS). He is currently the CEO of TCI, a small analytical consulting firm that specializes in applying operations research to significant business problems. Cook studied mathematics at Grinnell College, a small liberal arts institution in Iowa, receiving his bachelors in 1962. He returned to school and received an MBA from Southern Methodist University prior to studying operations research at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his PhD in the subject in 1972.

Early in his career, Cook developed large information systems at Ling Temco Vought, Inc., a Dallas-based manufacturing conglomerate. He taught courses in operations research, statistics, and computer science at the University of Texas, the University of Tulsa, and Boston University. In the 1980s, he published two books with Robert A. Russell, Contemporary Operations Management: Text and Cases (1980) and Introduction to Management Science (1985).

A significant portion of Cook’s career was spent at American Airlines. He grew what was then a small group of operations research specialists into a major division of the company. The division eventually spun off into Sabre Technology Solutions. For many years, Sabre contained the largest operations research group in the world, becoming a one billion dollar entity. After leaving Sabre for McKinsey & Co., Cook eventually became CEO of CALEB Technologies, an airline decision support software film.  He is a founding partner of Decision Analytics Inc.  Tom led groups that won the initial ORSA Prize (now the INFORMS Prize) in 1991 and Edelman 1st Place Prizes in 1992 (American Airlines), 1997 (Sabre), and 2002 (CALEB). With others, he was awarded the 2016 Impact Prize for contributions in revenue management. 

Cook has been a dedicated member of the professional operations research community. He was an associate editor of Operations Research, Transportation Science, and Interfaces and has been a member of a number of award nominating and selection committees. As President of INFORMS, he initiated and led The Science of Better, a campaign to make the operations research field better understood by its constituencies. As a long time practitioner, he recognized that OR’s unique problem-solving capabilities were little known or appreciated and hence under-utilized in business. To reverse these trends, Cook proposed to identify and implement changes to existing INFORMS programs that would increase the impact of the discipline by creating demand. He worked with the Board of Directors to obtain the necessary funds to initiate this information campaign.

Cook has served as Chairman of a National Academy of Science (NAS) Panel to study the 2010 Census and make recommendations for the 2020 Census and as Chairman of a NAS Standing Committee to advise and help design the 2020 Census.  In August, 2018, Cook was named to the US Census Scientific Advisory Committee.  

Cook is an elected Member of the National Academy of Engineering and was named an inaugural Fellow of INFORMS. In 2007, he was awarded the George E. Kimball medal for his dedicated service to OR/MS and associated professional societies. 

Other Biographies

INFORMS. Miser-Harris Presidential Gallery: Thomas M. Cook. Accessed June 2, 2015. (link)

SlipStream Analytics. Management Bios: Thomas M. Cook. Accessed June 2, 2015. (link)

Thomas Cook (2021) Interview by Irv Lustig, November 18, 2021.  Naples, FL.

Tom Cook Final Interview Transcript

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