She would eventually become an investment consultant to the Stanford University endowment; treasurer of the United Mine Workers of America's Health and Retirement Funds; senior vice president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation;[3] and investment chair of the District of Columbia Public Pension Funds.

She has also served on the boards of Cohen & Steers, an investment firm specializing in REIT funds,[4] and the Perini Corporation, a large general contractor.

[5] She has also served on the boards of several non-profits, including the Washington National Opera and the Posse Foundation.

[3] She served as a trustee of the District of Columbia Public Libraries and is currently on the boards of the DCPL Foundation and of 100 Reporters.

In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Cohen as a member of the Defense Business Board.