Elissa Cox is the Principal at The Madill Early Childhood Center. Cox has invested nearly three decades into her education and administration career.
Cox comes from a family with a mother who was a High School English and Spanish teacher for 30 years. Her father was a business man and a member on the city council. Cox has two younger brothers; the middle brother is management over a health food store and the youngest a federal probation officer.
Cox graduated from Cordell High School in 1998. She attended OSU where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Spanish. Cox began her career in Ft. Worth Texas where she worked for two years as a fourth and fifth grade teacher.
In 2004, Cox married the love of her life, Brian. The two met through friends in Stillwater and have been together ever since. Brian is currently the district manager for the Frito Lay company.
In 2004, Cox moved back to Oklahoma and began working at the Madill Elementary teaching grades second through fifth. While teaching, she furthered her education attending Southeastern Oklahoma State University to earn her Master’s degree in School Counseling in the spring of 2007. The following fall, she took a job at the ECC as the Counselor for Pre-k through first grade.
Cox worked as the counselor until 2013 when she then moved up the line to administration becoming Assistant Principal at the ECC. In 2009, she also started serving as the Federal Program Director for the district.
Cox said she loves to read and spend her free time buried in a good book.
“I enjoy reading most anything, mysteries are my favorite,' Cox said. “I am an OSU graduate so I also enjoy watching anything Cowboys.”
Cox earned a second Masters degree in School Administration from Southeastern in 2014. Then in 2017, Cox took the position as Principal over the ECC and is currently into her 12th year of her administrative career.
Elissa and Brian Cox have two sons together. Kaleb 16, a sophomore at MHS, and a percussionist in the band. Hudson 6 in kindergarten at the ECC, is a lover of dinosaurs and soccer. Cox says, “I absolutely love watching any events they participate in.” She finds immense joy in seeing her kids at school.
Cox said the most fulfilling part of her career is the children.
“I love watching these kids grow and succeed in life,” Cox said. “I now have past students who have had children of their own that are attending school, I am able to have an impact on them as well.”
“Madill is more family than anything else,” Cox contiued. The ECC is closeknit we all have each other’s back. We advocate for the kids and do what is best for them as a team.”