Colton came to IYF in 2013 with over 10 years of experience at US nonprofits and NGOs. Most recently, Colton served at the National Headquarters of the American Red Cross, coordinating Cause Marketing campaigns which engaged corporate donors. Colton also has over three years of programmatic experience helping low-income and homeless people gain access to food and housing; first at the Yorkville Common Pantry in NYC, and afterward at MCUM in Bloomington, IN. From 2006 to 2009, Colton served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mauritania, West Africa, where he worked in agricultural and community development; and as a Communications Intern at The Hunger Project, where he created communications materials to support their Africa program. Colton holds a Bachelors of Music from Ithaca College, a Masters of Music from Cincinnati Conservatory, and a Masters of Public Affairs in International Development from Indiana University. Colton speaks Mauritanian Arabic and French.