About Us

Nicole B. Simpson, Banfi Vintners Chair of Economics and Professor of Economics, began a three-year term as the Upstate Institute Faculty Director on July 1, 2026. She holds a BA in Economics from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota and an MA and PhD in Economics from the University of Iowa. She has been at Colgate University since 2001. Between 2011-2012, she was named the Gretchen Hoadley Burke ’81 Endowed Chair in Regional Studies at Colgate. She is a research fellow at IZA and the GLO. 

Simpson is an economist who works on issues related to immigration, remittances, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and education. Her current work has focused on studying the determinants of immigration and remittances, the impact of the EITC on labor supply when households face credit constraints, and changes in women's labor supply. Her work has been published in the Journal of Monetary Economics, Journal of Development Economics, American Economic Review, Southern Economic Journal, Journal of Economic Education and Contemporary Economic Policy. She published a textbook entitled the Economics of Immigration; the third edition was printed in late 2025. Between 2022 and 2025, Nicole was an associate editor of the Eastern Economic Journal. 

She teaches courses in immigration, macroeconomics, international economics, and poverty. Simpson coordinate the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program at Colgate, where students file income taxes for local low-income households. She was the faculty director for the London Economics Study Group in 2007, 2011 and 2022 and directed an extended study trip to Argentina with the Benton Scholars in May 2013. She also taught a Sophomore Residential Seminar in 2019-20 which traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border. Professor Simpson also coordinated the first Fed Challenge team at Colgate in 2013 and has led the program in 2023, 2024 and 2025. 

Julie oversees our Field School and facilitates research by faculty and students on community-related projects. She also handles the institute's communications and online presence. In addition to her work with the Upstate Institute, Julie is an active participant in many local and county-wide initiatives, such as the Village of Hamilton Planning Board, the Southern Madison County Volunteer Ambulance Corps (SOMAC), the Hamilton Community Chest, and the Literacy Coalition of Madison County. She has a BA from Depauw University, an MFA in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame, and has previously worked for the Partnership for Community Development.

Rachel oversees the World Languages Program, the Lifelong Learning Program, America Reads, the High School Seminar Program and the Community Scholars Program. She is a member of Colgate's Staff Committee on Inclusion and Climate (SCIC), and the IGD (Inter Group Dialog) Council. She has a B.S. degree in Natural Resource Management from Cornell University, and served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member in Anchorage, Alaska for several terms. She is also involved in The Bell Tree community center in Earlville, NY and is a member of the board for the PCD (Partnership for Community Development) in Hamilton.

Susan M. Conn, Esq. is a project consultant with the Upstate Law Project. She supervises the Consumer Bankruptcy Law Project and teaches SOSC 405: Social Security Benefits for Disabled Children. A member of the Colgate class of 1979, she joined the Upstate Institute in 2005 after 22 years as a staff and managing attorney at the Utica office of the Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York, Inc.

Bruce Moseley is a project consultant with the Finding Money for Social Change project.  After working at Colgate for many years as the Director of Corporate, Foundation & Government Relations, he brings his grantwriting experience to students who are researching and writing grants in partnership with local nonprofit organizations. Bruce is well connected to the nonprofit and arts community in Central New York as well, having worked with Syracuse Stage and the Oneida Community Mansion House in the past.

The Upstate Institute Executive Board includes representation from each division of the university. Board members evaluate research projects, promote the resources available through the Upstate Institute, and participate in the institute's long-term strategic planning efforts.

Members:

• Megan Abbas, Religion
• April Baptiste, Environmental Studies and Africana & Latin American Studies
• Jeff Bary, Physics and Astronomy
• Kyle Bass, Theater
• Catherine Cardelús, Biology and Environmental Studies
• Kristin De Lucia, Anthropology
• Stephanie DeVries, Communications
• Julie Dudrick, Upstate Institute
• Joshua Finnell, Library
• Michael Fitzgerald, Economics
• Carolyn Hsu, Sociology and Anthropology
• Bineyam Taye, Biology; Global Public and Environmental Health
• Jeremy Wattles, Max A. Shacknai COVE

The Community Board of the Upstate Institute is shared with the Max Shacknai Center for Outreach Volunteerism and Education (COVE). The members of the Community Board are from area non-profit organizations, local government, economic development organizations, and school districts. Community Board members offer input into new project development and help bring about community conversations that can be facilitated and supported by the Upstate Institute.

Members:

John Bailey, Hamilton Area Antiracism Coalition

Erica Bird, Madison County Public Health

Joanne Borfitz, Colgate

David Carson, Rogers Environmental Center

Mary Dinski, Fiver Foundation

William Dowsland, Hamilton Central School

Michael Fitzgerald, Colgate

Wyatt Galusky, Morrisville State College

Amy James, Hamilton College

Brian Latella, Madison Central School

Hank Leo, TriValley YMCA

RuthAnn Loveless, Village of Hamilton

Samanthi Martinez, Mid York Senior Homes

Jessica Moquin, Chenango Historical Society

Sharon Pelosi, Chenango Greenway Conservancy

Larkin L Podsiedlik, Cornell Cooperative Extension

EveAnn Shwartz, Town of Hamilton

Margaret Wehrer, Hamilton Area Antiracism Coalition

Dot Willsey, National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum

Emily Zaengle, Stone Quarry Art Park