Jackie Cook
Jackie Cook is the Founder and CEO of Momentum Group, helping leaders at inflection points navigate complexity, shifting expectations, and technology-driven change with clarity, confidence, and forward momentum.
Leadership today is not about having all the answers. It is about knowing how to move forward when things are not clear.
Most leadership development focuses on what leaders should do. Her work focuses on how leaders think, decide, and move forward when there is no obvious path.
With over 20 years of experience across product, operations, and leadership development, Jackie has built her career at the intersection of organizational effectiveness and human-centered leadership. She has led enterprise initiatives at organizations such as Mercer and Marsh McLennan, helping leaders align strategy, scale teams, and deliver meaningful results.
She brings a rare ability to connect strategy, structure, and leadership behavior, blending business rigor with a deeply human approach to how change is experienced.
Her work is grounded in a simple observation. She saw firsthand that many capable leaders struggle not because they lack skill, but because they lack space, structure, and support to think clearly.
That insight was shaped by years of operating in complex environments where expectations shift quickly and clarity is often missing.
That realization led her to found Momentum Group, built to help leaders navigate ambiguity, technology disruption, and evolving expectations with practical tools, clear thinking, and real momentum.
Through leadership labs, AI-enabled tools, and decision frameworks, Momentum Group helps leaders translate complexity into clear, actionable direction so they can make better decisions, lead with confidence, and move forward with intention.
Jackie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from Penn State University and has completed advanced certifications in human-centered AI and design thinking through Wharton Executive Education and MIT.
She is also actively engaged in philanthropic leadership, including as a Woman of the Year candidate with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
For leaders navigating complexity who need clearer thinking, stronger decision-making, and a more intentional path forward, this is exactly the work she does.
• Leading and Scaling Human-Centered AI Adoption
• Generative AI for Leaders
• Human-Centered AI Leadership Certification
• Finance for Non-Finance Executives
• AI and Career Empowerment Executive Education Certificate
• Mastering Design Thinking
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
• Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certified
• Penn State University - B.S. Oragnizational Leadership
• Penn State University - B.A. Pshychology
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Woman of the Year Campaign
• Guardian Kids Fun Run (Former Volunteer Coordinator)
• The Chief Network
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Woman of the Year Campaign (fundraising for children with cancer)
• Guardian Kids Fun Run (former volunteer coordinator)
• Local Kansas City charitable events
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my ability to operate across strategy, operations, and leadership while staying grounded in how people actually experience change.
But more importantly, I learned early that clarity is a leadership responsibility.
In fast-moving environments, most people wait for clarity before they act. The leaders who stand out are the ones who know how to create it.
That requires a willingness to sit in uncertainty, challenge your own assumptions, and make decisions before everything feels fully formed.
That shift has shaped how I make decisions, how I lead teams, and ultimately how I built Momentum Group around helping others do the same.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of the most impactful pieces of advice I received early in my career was a simple question: “What’s your point?”
At the time, it pushed me to be more intentional in how I communicated. Over time, it became something much bigger.
It taught me that clarity is not just about what you say, but how you think. When you are clear on your point, you make better decisions, communicate more effectively, and help others move forward with confidence.
That lesson has stayed with me throughout my career and continues to shape how I lead today. In many ways, it sits at the core of my work now, helping leaders create clarity in moments where it is often missing.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Focus less on having everything figured out and more on learning how to think clearly in motion.
It is easy to believe you need the perfect plan before you begin, but in reality, clarity often comes after you start.
Get specific about the problem you are solving and who you are solving it for. Then test, learn, and adjust quickly.
The leaders who move forward are not the ones with perfect answers. They are the ones willing to engage, make thoughtful decisions, and refine as they go.
Momentum is built through clarity, not perfection.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge, and opportunity, in leadership right now is that leaders are being asked to make decisions in environments where complexity is increasing faster than clarity.
The volume of input has grown, especially with AI and rapidly shifting expectations, but the ability to filter, prioritize, and decide has not kept pace.
Leaders who can create clarity, exercise sound judgment, and move forward with intention will stand out.
That insight is what led to the founding of Momentum Group and continues to shape the work we are building.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity and authenticity are foundational to how I lead.
I believe leadership is not just about what you do, but how you show up, especially in moments that require trust, transparency, and consistency.
Staying grounded in those values shapes both my leadership approach and the work I do with others.
Expert Insights
Locations
Momentum Group
11704 west 157th street, Overland Park, KS 66221