Prior to joining UMKC, she was a faculty member in the Department of Anatomy at Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences from 1997 to 2016. During that time Dr. Cole taught in both the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the College of Biosciences. Dr. Cole has received numerous teaching awards, including the Missouri Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. She also served as the Executive Director of Academic & Institutional Research, the Interim Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation and KCU’s Accreditation Liaison Officer. She is currently a peer evaluator for both the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation and the Higher Learning Commission and has over twenty years of progressive experience in higher education, strategic planning, accreditation, assessment and program review, and curriculum development.