Inside Sarah's Circle: 1. Meet Kristan Cole

First in a series in which TX4P profiles the people close to Gov. Palin.

On the home page of the Alaska Fund Trust website, there is a quote from Kristan Cole, who is the trustee of the new official legal defense fund for the Alaska Governor's office. So who is Kristen Cole?

We learn from a Greta Susteren interview that Cole shares a close friendship with Gov. Palin that goes back to 1970 when both women were elementary school children. They now live just seven miles apart, and their friendship has grown closer since both have grown, married and had children. In private, Cole calls the governor "Sarah," and Gov. Palin calls her "Krissy."

Kristan Cole is married to Brad, and like their friends Todd and Sarah, the couple have five children. She's a licensed single-engine private pilot and likes to ski and play golf. Like Gov. Palin, Cole has competed in beauty contests. She won the Miss Alaska pageant in 1982 and was Mrs. Alaska in 1988.

Trustee Cole double majored in real estate and finance at the University of Arizona, and she received her MBA degree from the University of Alaska in 1995. She has 25 years of experience in the real estate business and was a successful small business owner of a firm where she headed up a team of about 15 people. She sold the company she had purchased from her mother after building it up and then went to work for a large statewide agency, where she is in charge of its Wasilla and Palmer opperations. When asked what had made her more successful than others, she answered, "Hard work and leadership." Her prescription for success?

"Get up early, work as if it depends on you. Pray as if it depends on God, be outward focused not inward focused. Make sure that others get what they want first and you will get what you want. Be a great leader. Leadership is the difference between success and failure."

Cole has a history of community involvement, and she has served on a number of boards and commissions, including the boards of two hospitals, the Alaska Royalty Oil & Gas Development Advisory Board, the Alaska Real Estate Commission and the Agricultural Revolving Loan Fund. She currently chairs two panels, the Board of Agriculture & Conservation and the Creamery Corporation. She is also involved in charity work, most notably for the Children’s Miracle Network.

Now Kristan Cole has one more important title to add to her resume: Alaska Fund Trustee.

- JP