Carrie Cole

-President

Carrie Cole always knew she wanted to go into the field of education, and spent much of her childhood playing “school” with her siblings and neighbors (she might even have been called bossy a time or two). She has always been an avid reader and believes reading is essential in nurturing the knowledge, habits, and talents needed to learn and to lead in an innovative way. Most of all, she is passionate about helping educators build systems of support so that all children can thrive and have the opportunity to succeed.

Carrie began her education career in the classroom as an elementary teacher and secondary reading teacher. She holds a master’s degree in literacy and is a contributing author for CORE’s Teaching Reading Sourcebook (2nd Edition). She is known for her ability to not only effectively communicate best instructional practices, but also demonstrate how to put the latest research into practice in the “real world” classroom. She is especially passionate about serving children living in poverty. She has worked with and advised state officials, district leaders, school administrators, instructional coaches, and teachers across the country, as well as written and delivered on-site professional development at the state, district, and school levels that is centered around fundamental knowledge in evidence-based literacy practices. Prior to consulting, Ms. Cole was a professional development specialist for the Idaho State Department of Education, adjunct professor in literacy at Idaho State University, regional educational consultant for a major publishing company, and a classroom teacher.

Raised in Idaho, Carrie now resides Northwest Montana with her husband, Seth, and two children, Vivian and Griffin. Prior to living in Montana, she and Seth lived in several states in the southeastern United States. During her time there, she especially enjoyed spending time with her friend and founder of Side-by-Side Educational Consulting, Frances Bessellieu, where they often sat on Frances’ front porch to take in the splendor of the North Carolina live oak trees and Intracoastal Waterway. Currently, she enjoys spending time with her husband and children in the Montana outdoors, enjoying activities such as skiing, camping, hiking, canoeing, and more recently, paddleboarding at the lake.