Chanel Cook is the Public Affairs Specialist at the Erie VA Medical Center.  She is the former Director of Programming & Community Relationships at Erie Arts & Culture, and previously was the Director of Nonprofit and Community Investment at Idea Fund, Erie. She also served in federal and local-level positions including in the County of Erie and the US House of Representatives. She is the Chair of the Erie Philharmonic Board of Governors and a member of both the United Way of Erie County Board of Directors and the WQLN – PBS 54 Community Advisory Board. Cook earned an MS in organizational leadership from Mercyhurst University and a BA in Political Science from Gannon University.