Dave Cook sees leadership as helping people recognize what they’re capable of. As manager of creative services at Centene Corporation in Clayton, he mentors creative professionals while helping guide the company’s brand and creative work. Outside the office, Cook brings a similar approach to coaching his daughter’s basketball team, where he focuses on encouragement, accountability and giving players room to grow.
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Organization: Centene Corporation
Title: Manager, Creative Services
Hometown: St. Louis
Education: Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Missouri–St. Louis
Interests / Hobbies: Coaching youth basketball, swing dancing, fishing, traveling, golf, and spending time with family.
What motivated you to get involved in this work/community/activity? I’ve always been drawn to helping people solve challenges and recognize what they’re capable of. Professionally, I lead and mentor creative professionals while helping steward Centene’s corporate brand and strengthen how creative work is delivered across the organization. Outside of work, I coach my daughter’s basketball team. The settings are different, but the purpose is similar: meet people where they are, help them work through obstacles, and give them confidence to take the next step.
What values or principles guide how you show up in this role/community? I try to see the person before the performance. Whether someone is learning a basketball play or presenting a creative idea, I want them to know they’re valued beyond the result. Empathy, honesty, encouragement, and accountability guide how I lead. Supporting people also means challenging them and maintaining high expectations.
What’s the most enjoyable aspect? The most enjoyable part is watching confidence grow. It might be a hesitant player beginning to communicate and make decisions, or a designer confidently presenting an idea and seeing it connect with the people we’re supporting. You’re not simply watching someone improve a skill. You’re watching them begin to see themselves differently.
Can you briefly share a few standout memories? Some of my favorite coaching memories come from watching individual players become a team. Some began the season barely knowing one another, but through basketball they became friends and supporters. Hearing them cheer for each other or help a teammate up after a fall means a lot to me. I try to make practice fun by creating drills that build skills without feeling like work. The best sign is when the players request those drills at the beginning of practice. Professionally, one standout memory was a large environmental branding project that brought our creative team together. It was a unique opportunity for creatives across the team to collaborate closely on one shared assignment. We explored creative possibilities while staying grounded in the brand, shared ideas, and learned from one another. The experience reinforced the value of collaboration and continues to influence how I approach creative leadership.
Can you share an insight about this role that most people don’t know? Creative leadership often requires you to zoom out and consider how one decision may affect many people and their everyday work. Creative decisions can influence how people understand information, experience a brand, and connect with an organization. You have to put yourself in other people’s shoes and bring real empathy to the process. My career started in print production, followed by digital cartography, where I created aeronautical charts. I then moved into healthcare design at STERIS, working across marketing, regulatory, life sciences, and engineering before joining Centene, where I grew into creative leadership. Across each chapter, the common thread has been using design to make complex information clearer, more useful, and more human.
What’s one key piece of advice you’ve embraced? Model the behavior you want to see. When people can see your standards in how you show up, communicate, and approach the work, it tends to influence those around you.
What’s the greatest challenge? The greatest challenge is knowing when to step in and when to step back. When you care about people and the outcome, your instinct can be to protect them from mistakes, but struggle is often an important part of learning.
Where do you find inspiration? I find inspiration in my wife and kids, the athletes I coach, the creative professionals I work alongside, and the mentors who have invested in me. My wife, Jennie, and I compete and teach in the swing dancing community. It has always been a place where I find inspiration, connection, and creative expression.
What are your future plans or ambitions? I want to continue growing as a creative leader, mentor, and coach. I’m interested in exploring how creatives can use emerging technology while keeping human needs, judgment, and empathy at the center of the work. In the community, I plan to continue coaching and hope to eventually teach design, helping people build confidence, leadership, resilience, and a sense of belonging.
