Colton graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with an M.S. in Public Policy and Data Analytics. He also holds undergraduate degrees in economics and applied mathematics and worked for two years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond assisting in economic research related to macroeconomic modeling and time series forecasting.

Colton gets excited about using data science tools to improve public services and better understand societal issues. While studying at Carnegie Mellon, he worked on a project that utilized machine learning to improve regulatory targeting at the EPA, as well as a project that employed computer vision to measure urban blight in downtown Pittsburgh. In his free time, he enjoys playing music, being outside, and binging podcast series.