Jeffrey Kole was born in Savannah, Georgia, on April 17, 1960, the son of Kaye Robinson Kole and Donald Kole, both of whom are former members of the Georgia Historical Society Board of Curators. Don is a former GHS Board Chair. LeeAnn Altman was born on October 17, 1962, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Ina and Art Altman and was raised in Fairfax, Virginia. Jeff and LeeAnn were married in December 1989 and moved to Savannah in 1994.
Jeff graduated from Brandeis University in 1982 and is the President of Kole Investment Co., a Savannah-based family investment firm. He is the former President of Kole Management Co., an apartment and warehouse management and investment firm that operated apartments in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
LeeAnn graduated from Northern Virginia Community College in 1984. She is the former director of membership for the Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery in Alexandria, Virginia.
LeeAnn and Jeff are active Savannah community volunteers. LeeAnn is a former Board Chair of the Rambam Day School and has been Board Chair of the Savannah Children’s Theatre for the past twelve years.
Jeff is the founding Board Chair of East Savannah United, which is charged with bringing a Purpose-Built Community neighborhood revitalization project akin to Atlanta’s acclaimed East Lake community to Savannah’s Eastside. Jeff is a former board chair of the Jewish Educational Alliance, Senior Citizens Inc., Savannah Apartment Association and Georgia Apartment Association. He currently serves on the Board of the Georgia Historical Society. Jeff was inducted into Junior Achievement’s Savannah Business Hall of Fame in 2024.
Jeff and LeeAnn Kole are proud parents of Amy, Jeremy and Zachary Kole. They established the Kole Family Fund at the Georgia Historical Society in 2025, ensuring that their commitment to Georgia history education will continue in perpetuity.