Jelani Cobb

Jelani Cobb, born William Jelani Cobb on August 21, 1969, is an American writer, author, educator, and dean of the Columbia Journalism School. He joined Columbia University in 2016 as the Ira A. Lipman Professor of Journalism after serving as an associate professor of history and director of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Connecticut from 2012 to 2016. Since 2015, he has also been a staff writer at The New Yorker. Born in Queens, New York, Cobb grew up in a family that valued reading and learning. His father, Willie Lee Cobb, instilled a passion for writing in him from a young age.