Marie Colombo served senior adviser to the vice president of program. In her role, she strengthened internal, integrative organizational activities to ensure strong performance and impact as the Foundation implements its Opportunity Agenda for Detroit Children. Prior to this role, Marie served as director of evaluation and learning, and has overseen evaluation, learning and performance monitoring activities since joining the Foundation in 2005.

After completing her master’s degree in evaluation and public policy at Wayne State, Marie spent 25 years in the evaluation research unit at WSU’s Center for Urban Studies, managing evaluation projects for clients ranging from small nonprofit organizations to large federal departments. A goal of providing actionable information to guide decision-making drives her work.

Since joining the Foundation in 2005, Marie oversaw evaluation, learning and performance monitoring activities, drawing on the latest advances in the evaluation field to keep pace with the rapidly changing context that encompasses the work of improving conditions for Detroit’s young people. A life-long Detroit area resident, she and her husband, as well as their three sons, live in the metro area.

When she’s not pondering data, Marie can be found in her garden, at the beach or at a music venue.