Cox honored for turning research into reality for Oklahoma families

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Media Contact: Trisha Gedon | Sr. Communications Specialist | 405-744-3625 | trisha.gedon@okstate.edu

Ron Cox, Oklahoma State University Extension marriage and family life specialist, director of the OSU Center for Immigrant Health and Education and the George Kaiser Family Foundation chair in Child and Family Resilience, has been nationally recognized for his work in strengthening Oklahoma families and communities.

Cox was honored with the Extension Family Life and Human Development Center Career Impact Award, which is given each year to a state Extension specialist who has made significant contributions to the work of Cooperative Extension and who has provided clear evidence of program impacts.

“Ron’s work reflects what it means to be part of OSU Extension – he connects research and community in ways that make a difference for Oklahoma families,” said Gina Peek, assistant director, Oklahoma State University Extension/Family Consumer Science program leader and associate dean for Extension and Engagement in the College of Education and Human Sciences.

This year, Cox was also inducted into the prestigious Academy of Community Engaged Scholars. Founded in 2013, the Academy is an international organization comprising leading community-engaged scholars and practitioners from around the world who are recognized for advancing scholarship that serves the public good.

“When I came to OSU in 2007, one of the first things I did was travel the state so I could get to know people and get a pulse on how things were run,” Cox said. “During those visits — I got to about 50 out of the 77 counties — I learned that families were very concerned about their teenage children, and especially about their academic performance and the rising school dropout rate. There wasn’t a lot of effective dropout-prevention programming going on at that time.”

Having lived in South America for 17 years, Cox is also passionate about working with the underserved Latino population. Through statewide assessments, surveys and focus groups, Cox was instrumental in developing United We Can!, a program that was originally tailored directly toward Hispanic immigrant families but was later expanded to help youth of any ethnic group improve their academic achievement and mitigate risky behaviors such as substance abuse.

Through his research, Cox identified three primary factors that affect adolescent motivation to do well in school: Whether their family is involved in their schooling; if they have a strong sense of personal agency – their ability to set goals and pursue them, as well as their ability to think critically and make good decisions; and whether their friends are also motivated to do well in school.  

“When these three factors are present in a child’s life, they develop a sense of hope and resilience,” he said. “Through United We Can!, we help parents learn how to support their children’s academic journey, while working with the teens themselves to develop and work toward goals, learn about potential career opportunities and create a space in which these kids can get together for positive experiences, which, in turn, foster affirming relationships with like-minded friends.”

More than 2,000 Oklahoma families have been impacted by United We Can! The program has been implemented across seven counties in Oklahoma and serves as a model for other schools nationwide.

Cox also led the creation of OSU Extension’s Co-Parenting for Resilience program, which is designed to help divorcing parents and their children overcome the effects of divorce. Co-Parenting for Resilience, also known as Family CPR, fulfills the legal requirements for divorcing parents in Oklahoma and is approved by courts across the state.

“Research shows that simply giving information to people can be helpful but is not usually very effective at promoting true behavior change,” Cox said. “In creating the class, my team and I took proven psychotherapeutic strategies that produce change in the therapy room and put them into a format that can be delivered in a class for divorcing parents.”

How parents handle divorce has a significant impact on their children. Family CPR teaches parents to better handle their emotions and how to keep their children out of the middle of their divorce.

The classes are offered both in person and online to provide parents with options that fit their schedules. In addition, the classes are available in both English and Spanish.

About three years ago, Cox began working with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services to develop and implement a fatherhood program. The Strong Dads Program was designed to empower fathers and father figures by providing them with the helpful tools and support they need to strengthen the father-child relationship.

“The program was available in English and Spanish in nine counties and we saw tremendous impact. We even received calls from wives to tell us the amazing changes they’re seeing in their spouses,” he said. “It was rewarding to see these dads have ‘aha moments’ and understand how important their role is in their children’s lives.”

Over his more-than-two-decade career, Cox said he remembers the early days of feeling like an imposter trying to fill the shoes of the scholars and difference-makers who came before him.

“But, over the years, I realized my efforts were helping people and were making a difference,” he said. “It’s not so much that other people see me that way, but more like I was finally giving myself permission to feel like I’ve accomplished something in my career.”