Meet Dr. Floyd Cobb, Executive Director of the Teaching and Learning Unit
Monday, September 25, 2017
Dr. Floyd Cobb
When it comes to education, Floyd Cobb has basically done it all.
Teacher? Check. Assistant principal? Check. Assistant athletic director? Yep. District administrator? You bet.
Now, Cobb, who came to CDE in August from the Cherry Creek School District, is leading the Teaching and Learning Unit as its executive director, bringing a passel of skills and educational knowledge that he has built over decades at Cherry Creek.
Cobb, 41, who grew up in San Diego, was the first in his family to graduate college. He went to Howard University in Washington, D.C., later got his master's in arts at George Washington University and finally a doctorate of philosophy, curriculum and instruction from the University of Denver.
Cobb came to Colorado after meeting his wife Jennifer in D.C. She hailed from a well-established family in the Denver/Aurora area. Her father was State Rep. John Buckner, who had also been principal of Overland High School. In 2008, the high school even renamed the gym in his honor.
But Mr. Buckner died in 2016 after a brief illness. His wife, Janet Buckner, was appointed to his seat, which her husband had held since 2014.
After Cobb and his wife came to Colorado, he took a job teaching Spanish at Cherokee Trail High School. That led to a position at Cherry Creek High and eventually to becoming assistant principal at Smoky Hill High.
Most recently, Cobb was Cherry Creek's executive director of curriculum and instruction, where he worked on curriculum development, standards implementation, educational equity, culturally relevant instruction, professional development and strategic planning. He also is an adjunct professor at the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver and was the 2017 recipient of the Ruth Murray Underhill Teaching Award for excellence in teaching by an adjunct professor.
After several years at Cherry Creek, Cobb decided it was time for a new beginning.
"I had a great experience in Cherry Creek and am grateful for everything I learned however, I realized I was ready to pursue a new challenge," he said, and became interested in CDE's position.
"I have always had great interactions with the people who work at CDE," and he liked the state's mission, he said.
"I want to really continue to provide quality support for the educators of Colorado," he said. "There are wonderful things in process. My goal is to keep those positive things going and continue to support schools and districts where needed in terms of helping produce positive outcomes for students."
When he's not working, Cobb is with his family in Aurora, including his two young daughters, or training for triathlons, which involves early-morning workouts on the bike, in the pool or on the run. Welcome, Dr. Cobb!
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