ccesaro@micolleges.org

Colby Spencer Cesaro serves as the Vice President at the Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities association (MICU). In her role, she focuses her time analyzing data on the contributions of higher education institutions, their students, and graduates to the economy and enhancing awareness of the importance of higher education. Prior to coming to MICU, Colby worked as the Senior Director for Research & Strategy at the Workforce Intelligence Network for Southeast Michigan (WIN) and with the Anderson Economic Group, a boutique economic consulting firm with offices in East Lansing, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois. Ms. Cesaro is also co-chair of the Arts Alliance board, working collaboratively with the organization on grant-writing, membership development, and communications. In her spare time, Ms. Cesaro produces shows and performs with Ann Arbor Musical Theatre Works, a regional musical theatre company with a mission focused on raising awareness and funds for social and medical issues facing the community. She also performs with local choirs and dance companies when possible. Ms. Cesaro’s background, prior to her professional career in economics, was in theatre, dance, and vocal performance. Ms. Cesaro holds a Bachelor of Science in elementary and special education from New York University and Master of Public Administration in urban/social policy and econometric/quantitative analysis from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University in New York City. Ms. Cesaro held a fellowship at Columbia University as a teaching assistant for quantitative analysis and operations management graduate courses. She has also taught in the District of Columbia Public Schools.