State Rep. Sheryl Cole

Rep. Cole currently serves as Vice Chair of the House Administration Committee, and sits on the Culture, Recreation & Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs Committees, and serves as Vice-Chair of the County & Regional Government Subcommittee. She is also a member of the House Democratic Caucus, the Texas Legislative Black Caucus — where she earned Freshman of the Year in her first session — the Texas Women’s Health Caucus, and the LGBTQ Caucus.

On the Austin City Council, Rep. Cole sponsored a resolution making Austin the first city in Texas to publicly support marriage equality. As Mayor Pro Tem, she worked on an affordable housing bond package that passed with 61% of the vote. She also worked on the Waller Creek redevelopment project, which moved prime downtown real estate out of the flood plain for what is now home to the UT Medical School. She chaired the Audit and Finance Committee during a period in which Austin maintained its AAA bond rating.

Rep. Cole is an accountant and attorney by training, having earned her B.B.A. in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. Her work has been recognized by the Austin Chronicle as “Best Council Stewards,” by the Texas Legislative Black Caucus as “Outstanding Community Leader,” and by the Travis County Democratic Party among their “Trio of Stars” in 2015.