Economics Expert Rob Casey ’13 Asks: What's Next?
Alumni Profile: Rob Casey ’13
In the last few years, you may have caught a young man on CNBC or Bloomberg’s Surveillance organizing his thoughts on the spot, summarizing, predicting, not shying away from difficult opinions, but not sensationalizing them, either. Rob Casey, analyst and partner at Signum Global Advisors, speaks articulately about energy, politics, tariffs, and transportation — surprisingly well-versed for someone so young.
His expertise, however, doesn’t surprise those who knew him as a student at Foote. Amanda Diffley verified that as a third grader, “Rob was already incredibly articulate, loved to chat with adults as well as classmates, and was a curious and eager student.” Rob’s fifth grade teacher Jim Adams predicted broadcasting in Rob’s future when Rob turned in a project on pastimes in ancient Egypt accompanied by a six-minute podcast complete with music and sound effects.
Anna, Rob’s mother, taught kindergarten at Foote, and his younger sister Caroline ’16 also attended. After his seventh-grade year, Rob’s family moved to Denver. He still sounds wistful about leaving the place he said raised him. “My teachers and friends at Foote were a close-knit and meaningful community. They presented learning as something I got to do both in and outside the classroom.”
He remembered vividly the Luckey Climber and the Sacred Woods, where they tapped maple trees to make syrup, composted, and learned about native and invasive species. “It was never just classroom learning,” he said, “but learning as engaging the world around us.”
Rob returned to the East Coast to attend Amherst College, majoring in political science and French. “My love of French started in kindergarten with Madame Gianella,” he pointed out. After an internship in 2019 at Signum, he joined the firm upon graduation in 2020.
At Signum, Rob researches and produces reports assessing geopolitical risks to investing. The clients — financial institutions and multinational corporations — are subject to legislation, regulation, and conflict globally. “At our best,” Rob said, “our work is predictive, addressing risks that might not yet be clear. We are, however, both proactive and reactive, constantly updating our assumptions.”
His favorite projects have focused on transportation — understanding the overlap between federal policy at the executive level, operations, and organized labor. “Organized labor and union strength will be an important and interesting story,” he predicted. “Especially as tech and A.I. develop.”
Rob’s former fourth-grade teacher, Denise Quinn, is not surprised by Rob’s interest in transportation as she can still recall his project on the transcontinental railroad.
Rob appreciates Foote’s emphasis on being well-rounded. “The ability to follow my interests allowed me to be empathetic and flexible,” he said. “And I would like to think it helped make me a good citizen. It made me ask how I can contribute to the world around me and lift others up and also be smart about what’s coming around the corner.”
What’s around the corner for Rob? First comes law school and then a possible career shift. “I was raised by a community that necessitates service,” he said, and added, not surprisingly, “so my plan has always been to put my geopolitical research into public service.”
