[2] Delegated the duties of Deputy Secretary on January 28, 2016, Cole served as the chief operating officer and chief legal officer and oversaw a broad range of operational, management, policy, legal and program functions at the department.

Cole also oversaw the department's work on President Obama's My Brother's Keeper Task Force.

[2] From 1996 to 2011, Cole worked at the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in New York City, where, in 2004, he became a partner in the corporate department.

He has advised a broad range of public and private companies in a variety of industries in the United States and around the world.

Prior to joining Wachtell, Lipton, Cole clerked for Judge Stephanie K. Seymour of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.