Assura | About Us | Our Talent

Our Leadership

Karen Cole Karen L. Cole, CBCP, SBCI
Chief Executive Officer

Because of her experience implementing risk management and compliance programs in the public and private sectors, Karen Cole is a sought after expert. She has used her expertise to implement the first Enterprise Risk Management program for a state agency in the country.

Karen is a national speaker on the topics of Enterprise Risk Management, Business Continuity, Crisis Management/Emergency Response, and Continuity of Operations Planning.

Over the course of her career, she has trained the Virginia State Corporation Commission bank examiners on compliance with federal banking regulations for Business Continuity Planning, local emergency managers on emergency planning, and business executives on Enterprise Risk Management, respectively.

Karen is a board member of the Virginia Emergency Management Association, a member of the Old Dominion Association of Contingency Planners, and the Business Recovery Association of Virginia (BRAV). Prior to starting Assura, she was the senior manager for Capital One in charge of Disaster Recovery.

Joshua Cole Joshua A. Cole, CISSP
Chief Operating Officer

Joshua Cole makes risk management relevant to organization leaders by incorporating measurable outcomes of brand protection, service delivery, financial performance, and employee satisfaction into each project.

Josh’s professional background in privacy, security, IT infrastructure, and operations spans 17 years. During that time, he has held senior positions in consulting firms such as Booz Allen Hamilton, and as Chief Information Security Officer for a national healthcare company. He has extensive experience in providing risk management and compliance solutions to senior leadership for clients in both the government and private sectors. Past clients include the US Marine Corps, US Navy, and US Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

Josh is also a member of the Computer Security Institute.