CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) has added a heavyweight to its leadership ranks.
On Wednesday, the museum announced the appointment of Jeffrey Cole as an honorary trustee—a name that carries weight not only in Cleveland’s arts community, but across the global optical industry.
Cole isn’t just another business executive with a passion project. He’s a lifelong CMA member, longtime supporter of the city’s cultural institutions and, along with his wife Patricia O’Brien Cole—an accomplished jazz singer who has graced the museum’s stage—someone who has made the arts part of his personal and professional story.
You can’t talk about Cole without talking about vision—both literally and figuratively. As chairman and CEO of Cole National Company from 1983 to 2003, he grew the business his father founded in the 1940s into a powerhouse, managing household names like Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Target Optical and Things Remembered.
By the time Luxottica acquired the company in 2004, Cole National was generating more than a $1 billion dollars annually.
And he didn’t stop there. In 1996, he co-founded Pearle Europe (later GrandVision), which exploded into the dominant optical retailer across Europe and Latin America, with more than 7,500 stores in 46 countries. By the time EssilorLuxottica acquired GrandVision in 2021, its revenues had grown from $100 million to more than $4 billion.
“Jeff brings exceptional leadership, global business savvy and a deep commitment to the arts,” said William M. Griswold, the CMA’s director and president. “We are honored to welcome him in this new capacity.”
Closer to home, Cole’s name is firmly etched into the Cleveland Clinic’s Cole Eye Institute, one of the nation’s premier centers for eye research and treatment.
Just this year, the massive Jeffrey and Patricia Cole Pavilion opened, adding 170,000 square feet to the facility and dramatically expanding its reach. That blend of business vision and civic investment has defined Cole’s career.
From serving on the board of Safilo in Italy to guiding Hilco Vision with Cleveland’s Blue Point Capital, to revitalizing iconic American sunglasses brand REVO and building a new eyewear platform that acquired Europa Eyewear and EYEBOBS, Cole has consistently pushed the global eyewear market forward while keeping ties to Cleveland strong.
His résumé goes well beyond optics. Cole has sat on the boards of companies across industries—Hartmarx, Fortunoff, Edison Brothers, Professional Sports Publications and more—playing key roles in growth and strategy.
He’s also been a trustee of the Cleveland Orchestra, chaired the Ohio Arts Council, sat on the National Board of Smithsonian Associates and helped fund the Jack Kerouac Writers in Residence Project in Orlando.
For the billions in revenue and global reach, Cole has never drifted too far from his roots. A Cleveland native who went on to Harvard College and Harvard Business School, he cut his teeth as an editor at the Harvard Lampoon and a member of the Hasty Pudding Institute.
Today, he’s just as likely to be recognized for his philanthropy as for his business acumen.
CMA’s decision to bring him on as an honorary trustee feels like a natural extension of that trajectory: a Clevelander with global reach, giving back to the city’s institutions and strengthening arts for the next generation.
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