Dr. Alexandra C. Cook, CPA, CFF, has been named the new Director of Finance for the Broward County Port Everglades Department, announced Steven Cernak, Chief Executive and Port Director for the South Florida cruise, cargo and petroleum seaport.  She is replacing Mary Spiegel Meynarez, CPA, who is retiring once the transition is complete at the end of June.

Dr. Cook comes to Port Everglades from the Office of the Clerk & Comptroller of Palm Beach County, where she served in the capacity of Deputy Comptroller and Finance Manager, overseeing cross-functional Finance and Accounting operations in excess of $3 billion. 

Her diverse professional background and experience spans a 20-year career and also includes positions in internal audit, academia, private industry as a commercial real estate Chief Financial Officer and marina developer, and over a decade in public accounting in both audit and taxation.

In addition to her career in finance, Dr. Cook has been published multiple times and is a respected lecturer on accounting and finance topics.  She has been a finance commentator for WPTV News Channel 5 in Palm Beach County, FL, and a continuing professional education presenter for the American Accounting Association, Florida Institute of CPAs, America Society of Women Accountants, and Florida Government Finance Officers Association.

Dr. Cook is a summa cum laude graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic University, where she earned Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, Bachelor of Science in Management, and Master of Business Administration degrees.  Her doctorate from Nova Southeastern University is a Doctor of Business Administration in Accounting with a specialty and dissertation in Accounting Information Systems.  In addition to her CPA license, Dr. Cook is certified in Financial Forensics by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is a Notary Public.  She is a candidate for the Certified Fraud Examiner credential and also the internationally-recognized PRINCE2  Project Management certification.