Ambassador Cain is a native North Carolinian. He did his undergraduate work and earned a law degree from Wake Forest University. He was with the international law firm of Kilpatrick Stockton for 20 years, co-founding the firm’s Research Triangle office in 1985. Ambassador Cain took a leave of absence from Kilpatrick Stockton from January 2000 to November 2002 to serve as the President and Chief Operating Officer of the National Hockey League Carolina Hurricanes and their parent company, Gale Force Holdings. He stepped down after the Team went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002.

Ambassador Cain has been very active in his community, serving on the Boards of the North Carolina Citizens for Business and Industry, the Wake Leadership Academy, and the North Carolina Character Education Foundation. He also served as a regional chair of the American Red Cross, American Diabetes Association, and Boy Scouts of America annual campaigns. He has chaired the Boards of the Food Bank of North Carolina, Communities in Schools of Wake County, and the Eastern North Carolina Chamber of Commerce. He is an active member of the White Memorial Presbyterian Church and has done other volunteer work.

Ambassador Cain has been politically active for many years, going back to the early campaigns of President Ronald Reagan. He served as Republican National Committeeman for North Carolina from 2003 to 2005, and served as Regional Chairman and the State Finance Vice Chairman for the Bush-Cheney ‘04 Campaign. He served as President Bush’s Emissary to the Philippines for the Inauguration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004.

Ambassador Cain has been honored by his community as "Business Leader of the Year" by Business Leader Magazine, received the John Ross Leadership Award from the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, and received the National Outstanding Community Service Award from the American Diabetes Association in 2003.