Career
During her tenure as United States. Attorney, she helped introduce five communities to the United States Department of Justice"s Weed and Seed crime-prevention program Cole has been honored as Woman of the Year by the East Carolina University Branch of the American Association of University Women and Tarheel of the Week by The News and Observer. She received her bachelor of science degree with highest honors from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, part of the City University of New New York
She also has a master"s degree in public administration from John Jay.
She received her law degree from Fordham University in 1979. Cole, a native New Yorker, is a former New York City police officer, and was in one of the first groups of female police officers assigned to patrol the streets in high crime areas.
Upon her completion of law school, Cole served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New New York In 1983 she moved to Hertford, North Carolina, a rural community in North Carolina and started a private practice.
Seven years later she was elected to serve as a state District Court Judge.
She was the first black and first woman to serve as a judge in that district. She held that position until she was sworn in as the United States Attorney in February, 1994. Cole unsuccessfully ran for the United States House of Representatives in 2002.
When the state"s electoral college met, Cole and elector Kara Hollingsworth, both African-Americans, formally nominated Obama.