Dr. Cole has over seventeen years of experience as an analyst for the Department of the Navy (DON) including six years at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) and eleven years as a civilian Operations Research Analyst for both Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) and the DON Secretariat.

In 2009, Dr. Cole joined HQMC, Programs and Resources, Program Analysis and Evaluation (PA&E). His primary areas of focus included the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) process, performance management, program analysis, data management, readiness, and advanced data analytics. Dr. Cole served as lead for development of the Performance Management Framework (PMF) and Marine Corps Strategic Health Assessment (MCSHA). The PMF and MCSHA helped to shape and redirect the Marine Corps’ resource management strategy through influence of current policies, plans, and programs. While at PA&E, Dr. Cole also served as Head of the Data Readiness Branch where he led development of the Marine Corps’ enterprise-level data and analytics services environment and coordinated data analytics efforts internally across HQMC and externally with the Department of Defense (DoD). 

In late 2019, Dr. Cole joined the DON Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), Chief Data Officer (CDO) to serve as Deputy CDO. As Deputy CDO, he managed Executive-level DON data governance and chaired supporting working groups. Dr. Cole developed broad data management policy, led enterprise-level data maturity assessments, defined DON data management roles and responsibilities, and represented the DON in both Federal and DoD-level data governance fora. He led publication of the annual summary of DON data efforts in the Title 44 Annual Congressional Report to Congress, and he supported transition of the CDO role to the Chief Data and AI Officer (CDAO).

In April 2024, Dr. Cole stepped into the Acting CDAO role and is beginning a campaign of full Fleet engagement to establish integrated and supportive data, analytics, and AI policies while helping solve pressing needs across business and warfighting operations.