Freshman Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-Miami) has hired FAMU alumna Tasha Cole as her new chief of staff. Wilson recently won the vacant House seat formerly held by FAMU alumnus Kendrick B. Meek and his mother, FAMU alumna Carrie Meek.“I’ve been in DC for eight years,” she said. “There’s a hectic pace and you are in the middle of everything that is going on in the country. It can be very humbling when you can be a part of decisions on healthcare and tax reform.”
An Alabama native, Cole was the senior advisor to former Congressman Kendrick B. Meek, working for him throughout his entire eight years in the House. In 2008, Cole worked as the director for political affairs for the Democratic National Convention Committee in Denver. Prior to moving to DC, she worked in Florida organizing programs designed to advance progressive issues and elect moderate and progressive candidates to office. As an active and proven fundraiser, she has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for various causes and candidates for office.
Cole began her political career as constituency outreach director for the Florida Democratic Party working on numerous statewide and local campaigns including the Gore/Lieberman Florida Campaign and Recount Effort in 2000 and as the early vote director for the Kerry/Edwards Campaign in Florida. She has also worked as the state director for the Service Employees International Union in Florida and served as a senior advisor for the Coalition to Reduce Class Size, a statewide ballot initiative to reduce class size that was approved by more than 2.5 million Florida voters on Election Day.
Cole graduated with honors from FAMU in 1993 with a degree in broadcast journalism and worked for several years as a documentary producer and television reporter for a statewide public affairs program and as a media relations consultant for non-profit organizations and associations.
Cole is the recipient of numerous honors, including an Emmy in public affairs for a PBS documentary on domestic violence centers, the Women In Communications Rising Star Award and the grand prize in the Florida Bar Media Awards Contest. She serves on the Board of Directors for Running Start, a non-profit committed to engaging young women in politics and is active with several community organizations including the DC Chapter of the FAMU Alumni Association.