A Washington area native, Robert Cole has supported Meridian for over ten years. He serves at Customs and Border Protection in the Department of Homeland Security. Since 2004, he has worked to improve maritime cargo security with foreign seaports, to advance border initiatives with Mexico and Canada, and to report results to DHS and the Office of Management and Budget. Previously, he brought cellular phones to Amtrak trains (in 1990) and provided scholarships to new college graduates serving as police officers from the Department of Justice. His academic studies included a BS from Yale University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.