Alumni

Lakesha Cole

Lakesha Cole is a Marine spouse, author, and entrepreneur. She was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, and met her husband while attending college in North Carolina. They married two weeks before he deployed with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines. She has been a military spouse for 15 years and serves as an invaluable resource for military spouses seeking to turn their ideas into a successful business.

Lakesha is the owner of She Swank Marketplace, the only community-building boutique in Jacksonville, N.C., that celebrates and sells local, independent, military spouse- and veteran-owned brands. Lakesha is also the co-creator of the ROSIE planner, the first day planner made just for military families, and founder of the “Life is a Spouseful” blog, where she shares how she juggles being a mom, business owner, and military spouse, all between drop-off and pickup.

In addition, Lakesha is committed to offering solutions to improve the unemployment gap. She spends time connecting military spouses to employment opportunities through Hiring our Heroes’ Military Spouse Professional Network and the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network.

Lakesha has a Bachelor of Arts in print journalism from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Before starting her own business, Lakesha worked as the public information officer for the Stafford County government and in marketing for the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.