Professor Racheal Cobb
Since becoming an assistant professor in 2006, Rachael Cobb has already put her stamp on the Government Department of Suffolk University by being a catalyst for two innovative programs, the University Poll Workers Project and the Boston Area Colleges Election Project.
The University Poll Workers Project, which Cobb established, recruits and trains a diverse array of students to be the next generation of poll workers. It has already yielded positive results, with over 100 Suffolk students working the polls for the City of Boston on Election Day during the past two years. The program will continue to be a resource for students and the community in the fall 2008 Presidential election.
The Boston Area Colleges Election Project is a collaborative effort between the Suffolk and Harvard University Government Departments and Harvard Law School. Through the project, students help to gather data on voter satisfaction in the city of Boston.
“I am passionate about our political processes, and these two programs will enable our students to be even more politically competent by taking action in our democracy,” says Cobb.
Cobb was born and reared in Cambridge, where she still lives with her husband and two young children. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bryn Mawr College and received her PhD from MIT.
Now, as a professor on Beacon Hill, Cobb is motivated by the eagerness of her students and appreciates Suffolk’s dedication to small class sizes. Her passion for public service is contagious. “Rachael has a remarkable ability to work with all kinds of people,” says professor and chair of the Government Department John Berg. “She is excellent at bringing people together and making things happen.”
