Katie Zaback

As the Vice President of Policy, Katie Zaback oversees Colorado Succeeds’ policy and advocacy work. Since joining the team in November 2022, she has been instrumental in deepening Colorado Succeed’s work to create stronger career pathways accessible for all of Colorado’s homegrown talent. The team has centered on a long-term agenda designed to blur the lines between education and workforce. To support this vision, she helped launch the Education to Employment Alliance, an effort to bring more business organizations to the table to ensure Colorado’s postsecondary and workforce systems align with industry needs.

Katie came to Colorado Succeeds after more than 20 years of experience in education policy. As the senior policy director at the Colorado Department of Higher Education, she helped pass and implement an ambitious policy agenda designed to address affordability, equity, and postsecondary success for all Coloradans. Katie also has extensive national experience as an independent data and policy strategy consultant, the director of research at Complete College America, and a senior policy analyst at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. These experiences allow Katie to bring national connections and best practices to Colorado Succeeds and its work. Katie has a master’s degree in public administration with a focus in policy analysis from Indiana University at Bloomington, a master’s certificate in Database Design from Regis University, and a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Hastings College.