superlawyers.com
September/October 2009
THE TOP
ATTORNEYS
IN CIVIL AND
CRIMINAL
LITIGATION
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Antitrust Litigation
Appellate
Civil Litigation Defense
Criminal Defense – White Collar
Personal Injury Defense
– General
– Medical Malpractice
– Products
Professional Liability Defense
The Game
Changer
PHO TOGRAPHY BY DARIO IMPINI
Elsa Cole is in some pain. “I just got a hepatitis B shot, which is
awful,” she says. “But it’s worth it because it’s necessary for me to
go see some great folks in India.” You may wonder why Cole, who
appeared on our cover in 2009 with a basketball in her hand—a
nod to the post she held at the NCAA—is going to India. It’s because
in January 2010, she changed her game. After 13 years as general
counsel to the NCAA in Indianapolis, she joined the Michael & Susan
Dell Foundation in Austin, Texas. “One of the great things we’re
doing here is a program in which we’re working to provide economic
stability to children that are living in urban slums in India,” Cole says.
“We provide small loans to people in the hopes of giving stability
to families, enabling children to get a good education, and also to
encourage healthier living.”
Cole may be the new kid on the block at the foundation, which
strives to improve the lives of children living in urban poverty, but
she’s transitioning nicely. “Some people have wondered about the
transition, but it isn’t that big of a jump,” she says. “What always
interested me at the NCAA was the work we were doing to provide
opportunities for education for young people through their athletic
skills, maybe people that otherwise might not get that education. The
Dell foundation … also works to provide education to children. The
two different positions dovetail, as far as my interests.” In addition to
programs in India, the foundation operates U.S.- and South Africa-
based initiatives. “I was really intrigued [to come to the foundation]
because of the hands-on ability to make a difference,” she says. “[Right
now], I’m in a very steep learning curve.” In addition to working on new
programming—like the project the foundation is unveiling that intends
to make critical data gathered about students in urban education
settings more accessible to improve school district effectiveness—she’s
also adjusting to Texas living. “I would really love to know how to
garden without a deer eating everything,” she says.
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