Drew Ceccato

Drew Ceccato is a lead consultant on the Accelerator team. Drew is active and passionate about increasing agency for those who need it most. Through research and professional outreach, he works to implement data-centric interactive ecosystems that are used to increase the impact of mission driven organizations and institutions while helping to provide underserved individuals and communities with increased agency and a seat at the table. He is extremely passionate about higher education and has dedicated the last 10+ years of his career searching for ways to optimize and transform a system to better serve a broader demographic. He most recently led the data and education work stream at the Markle foundation where his work led to $17mil+ in partner grants and the establishment and implementation of a data trust with the state of Colorado, that among other benefits, enabled more effective and timely credential ROI reporting. Drew holds a B.M in saxophone performance from New England Conservatory of Music, a M.F.A in performance and literature with a specialization in improvisation from Mills College where he was awarded the Margaret Lyon Prize for outstanding music student, and a Ph.D. in music from the University of California, San Diego where his research centered around the ways people learn from each other through collective experience and how that process can be optimized to maximize information transference. He is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan and currently resides in Louisville, Colorado with his wife Tova, twin daughters Ari and Bo, and St. Bernard Mazel. While not working, the entire Ceccato family can most often be found on top of or around a mountain of some sort or in a backyard listening to music.