Johnnetta B. Cole ’59 MA, ’67 PhD, ’92 H

Investment advisor and Fortune 500 CEO

Johnnetta B. Cole is a principal consultant with Cook Ross Inc., a consulting firm in the areas of diversity, inclusion, cultural competency, leadership development, and organizational change management. Before assuming her current position, she served as director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art for eight years.

After holding teaching and administrative positions in anthropology, women’s studies, and African American studies at several colleges and universities, Cole served as president of two historically black colleges for women, Spelman College and Bennett College. She has authored and edited several books and numerous articles for scholarly and general audiences.

Cole was the first African American to serve as chair of the board of the United Way of America. She formerly served on the corporate boards of Home Depot, Merck, and Nation’s Bank South, and she was the first woman to serve on the board of Coca-Cola Enterprises. She is a senior consulting fellow at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and co-chairs the American Alliance of Museums’ Working Group on Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion.

Cole has received numerous awards and more than 60 honorary degrees. Throughout her career and in her published work, speeches, and community service, she consistently addresses issues of race, gender, and other systems of inequality.

Cole is married to James D. Staton Jr. She has three sons: David, Aaron, and Ethan, and a stepson, Geoffrey. Cole is a graduate of Oberlin College, and received a master of arts and a doctorate in anthropology with a specialization in African studies from Northwestern.