Categories: Hazel Rosetta Smith,
Suzan Johnson Cook, respectfully recognized in the hallowed halls of government and across communities far and near as “Dr. Sujay or Ambassador Sujay,” is noted for her formidable manner of inspiring wellness of mind, body, and spirit.
Her mother, Dorothy Johnson, was a public-school teacher in Harlem and her father, Wilbert Johnson was one of the first Black trolley drivers in New York City before opening a security agency
Suzan attended the Riverdale Country Day School in the Bronx. She attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, studying music and arts, transferred to Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, received her B.S. Degree.
She earned an M.A. degree in education from Columbia University in New York City. She is also a graduate of Harvard University’s President’s Administrative Fellows Program.
Possessing excellent communication skills, Suzan began a career as a television producer for news affiliates in Washington, Boston, and Miami. As enticing as the position was, another mindset became evident and she accepted the call to enter religious studies.
She earned a master’s degree from Union Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary. She was ordained in 1982 and became a professor of theology at New York Theological Seminary.
Throughout years of an expansive career, Johnson Cook has been the first to hold prominent positions. From1983 to 1996, the Reverend Johnson Cook was the first female senior pastor in the 200-year history of the American Baptist Churches USA, Mariners Temple Baptist Church in lower New York City.
After thirteen years of profound leadership at Mariners Temple, she became the founder and senior pastor of the Bronx Fellowship Christian Church in 1996.
During the mayoral administration of David Dinkins, she was the first and only woman to hold the position of official chaplain of the New York City Police Department, a position which she held for twenty-one years.
In 2002, she became the first woman president of the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference, which represents historically African American denominations.
She was the first woman and first African American to serve under the administration of the first Black president Barack Obama as United States Ambassador-At-Large for International Religious Freedom in the State Department. This position held the significant responsibility for advancing the president’s agenda on freedom of religion as a human right around the globe.
Johnson Cook left that prestigious position in October 2013 and returned to the private sector as a minister and motivational speaker. Her interest turned to the development of advocacy organizations, including Moving Up Productions, a leadership and communications consulting firm and the Multi-Ethnic Center Inc.
As a highly sought after speaker and a powerhouse preacher, author Johnson Cook has applied her communication skills into the writing of seventeen bestselling books, most popular still is ”TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED: Words of Wisdom for Women on the Move”(Thomas Nelson ,1988) and “MY FABULOUS FIFTH CHAPTER: It’s My Turn Now” (Judson Press, 2020), both purpose driven to engage the seasoned woman leader, to discover ways to minister equally to others and self.
The most current published offering is “Soulfully Sujay” a pack of fifty-two cards designed to empower women seeking peace, clarity, and spiritual grounding. The glossy cards present calming daily affirmations especially for Black women.
Dr. Sujay has delivered her messages of hope, faith, and balance worldwide, with nearly 200 countries in her portfolio, engaging and encouraging women leaders.
As the founding CEO of the Global Black Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Women on the Worldstage (“W..O.W.), she hosts events that elevate faith leaders and entrepreneurs to greater heights, personally and professionally.
She created the Trailblazers and Unsung SHE-roes Awards, to recognize and honor those giving care to inner city youth in urban communities.
From June 14 to June 17, 2026, Sujay will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of SELAH BY THE SEA RETREAT at Lido Beach Resort, Sarasota, Florida. The Wellness Retreat for Black women leaders is designed to be a sacred and strategic pause for women of purpose, position, and promise, creating space for leaders to breathe, reflect, and be restored. (For further information visit www.drsujayglobal.com)
Suzan Johnson Cook is a true native New Yorker, a constant woman on the move pouring into sisterhood soul care. Raised in Harlem and The Bronx, she resides in New York City, married to Ronald Cook, with two sons, Samuel David and Christopher Daniel.
