Youndy C. Cook is Vice President and General Counsel of the University of Central Florida where she leads the Office of the General Counsel in providing a full range of legal services to the University and its Direct Support Organizations (DSOs). Ms. Cook joined the Office of the General Counsel in April 2002, serving in several roles since then, including Associate General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, and Interim Vice President and General Counsel, before her appointment as Vice President and General Counsel in December 2021. Ms. Cook works with departments and units across the university on a wide variety of issues, including general advice, employment issues, litigation, student affairs, policies and procedures, regulations, and contracts.

Ms. Cook is active in the National Association of College and University Attorneys and the Florida Bar.  She was certified by the Florida Bar as an education law specialist starting in 2012. In addition to providing training around campus, she has spoken various times at education law and higher education conferences. Ms. Cook has served on various university committees and work groups over the years. A Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native, Ms. Cook received her B.A., summa cum laude, from Vanderbilt University and her J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law.