Biography of Phyleccia Reed Cole
Phyleccia Reed Cole, originally from Alton, Illinois, serves as Senior System Counsel in Edwardsville. Ms. Cole holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy from the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, a Master’s Degree in Social Work from New York University, and a Juris Doctorate from Washington University School of Law.
Ms. Cole began her legal career as an Associate with the law firm of Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin in St. Louis, Missouri (now Husch Blackwell), and then with several other attorneys from that firm joined the newly formed firm of Mickes, Tueth, Keeney, Cooper Mohan & Jackstadt, P.C. in 2000. Ms. Cole represented K-12 school districts, colleges and universities, and private companies, and practiced primarily in the areas of Education Law, Student Discipline and Student Rights, Civil Rights, Employment Law, and Employment Discrimination.
Ms. Cole began at SIU in August 2007 on the Carbondale campus, and transferred to SIUE in January 2010. She is currently responsible for various matters including litigation and litigation management, employment and personnel matters, labor and collective bargaining, student discipline and other student affairs related issues, legal aspects of campus security and safety, including serving on the campus’ threat assessment team and the Campus Violence Prevention Committee, representation of the University before the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, EEOC and Illinois Department of Human Rights, and representation of the University before the Illinois Court of Claims and State and Federal courts in various types of lawsuits.
Ms. Cole is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Missouri, and has appeared in Circuit Courts in both states, as well as in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Federal District Courts in the Southern and Central Districts of Illinois and the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri. Ms. Cole is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, and member and former executive committee member of the Mound City Bar Association, a graduate of the Leadership St. Louis Program, United Way of Greater St. Louis SWIL Division Auxiliary Board Member, and Children’s Home & Aid Southern Region Board Member. Ms. Cole is also a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and is a past Chair of the ISBA Education Law Section Council.
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