Tom Cole

Tom Cole has served as the Agency Head of the Arizona Registrar of Contractors since October 2nd, 2023 and was confirmed by the Arizona State Senate on April 2nd, 2025. During this time he has overseen the effort to address the sunsetting of the agency, receiving 8 year continuation in 2024 (HB2091,56th Legislature, 2nd Session). He supervised a statutorily required study and report of “opportunities to remove the commercial construction profession” from ROC jurisdiction. Director Cole also led efforts to balance the budget for the first time in years, all in an environment of divided government and record numbers of license applications and approved licenses. Under his leadership the agency implemented a recognized apprenticeship certificate storage program ( HB2090), all while undergoing a complete restructuring of agency Salesforce software. Tom has re-structured the organization in order to make the operation more efficient and to clarify the chain of command. Over the past 18 months Tom and his team have traveled across the state, meeting with industry and association representatives in places as spread out as Sierra Vista, Bullhead City, Peach Springs, and Prescott.

Prior to his role at ROC, Tom had a successful career in public safety. Chief Cole has served as one of two deputy chiefs for the Goodyear Fire Department from 2013-2022. As operations chief his duties encompassed fire operations, emergency medical services, and personnel. Chief Cole also served as deputy chief of logistics, supervising apparatus design and PM, fire station design and maintenance, supplies and equipment as well as the fire training division. Tom began his career in 1994 with the Glendale Fire Department. He rose through the ranks of firefighter, fire captain where he proudly served as a trustee for IAFF L493. He later promoted and rose through the ranks of division chief, deputy chief/shift commander, then acted as assistant chief of fire operations for the Glendale Fire Department from 2011 to 2013. He was a national registry paramedic from 1997-2022 (current State of Arizona certification), and spent a number of years as an advanced life support and paramedic instructor with Southwest EMS Inc. and Mesa Community College under Barbara Aehlert RN. Tom served on the AEMS Board of Governors from 2008 -2022 and chaired the AZDoHS Central Region Advisory Council for the five years leading up to his retirement in May of 2022. Tom holds a bachelor’s degree in fire science from Columbia Southern University and Certified Public Manager designation from Arizona State University. Tom is an Arizona native, married for 36 years to his lovely wife (retired police Sgt.) Jackie with 3 kids and 2 amazing grandchildren.