Romell W. Cooks, Class of 1962

Public Service, Community Activist, Volunteer

Romell is a product of the Tucson School System, from Miles Elementary School to Mansfeld Jr. High, to our awesome Tucson High School.  She is a graduate of the class of 1962 and a Lifetime Member of the Badger Foundation. She attended Southwest Christian College, the University of Arizona and finished her undergraduate education with a BS in Business and Economics. She completed her graduate studies in Financial Planning from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. After her retirement, she completed a BA degree in Spanish at Augusta University.

During the summer of 1964, at the height of the civil rights movement, Romell was hired as the first Black telephone operator by Southern Bell Telephone company in Nashville, Tennessee. The courage and tenacity it took for Romell to plug in to the switchboard and sit beside dozens of operators who tried to run her away is the same courage and conviction with which she has worked for her country, her community and lived her life.

Romell dedicated 32 years working in public service. She served four years as Deputy Director in Governor Pierre DuPont’s Office of Highway Safety and 28 years in the US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) where she retired as Regional Administrator. Romell shepherded legislation in Delaware that resulted in a child passenger law that has saved hundreds of lives and prevented thousands of injuries in children. She crafted seat belt policies for corporations, spoke to thousands of traffic safety advocates and legislative bodies that passed “buckle up for safety” laws in Missouri and Kansas. Romell was recognized by President George Bush as a distinguished person in the DOT, in addition to being cited for excellence in public service and outstanding performance by three Secretaries of Transportation and five NHTSA Administrators.

Giving to children, the elderly, and the under resourced has been a large part of Romell’s life. She has mentored and tutored dozens of students who were failing in school. She is a highly recognized and awarded volunteer for her years of service training and advocating for AARP’s 50+ population.  She helped dozens of Spanish speaking men get driver’s licenses, helped mothers register their children in schools, and guided many ABC Settlement Guatemalans through the bureaucratic maze to green cards and citizenship.

Romell exemplifies the profile of a Badger and should be in the Badger Foundation Hall of Fame.