Frank A. Casagrande believes that anything is possible with an education and hard work, and his own life is certainly a testament to this fact.
Affectionately known as Pop, Casagrande’s grandfather Francesco arrived in America from his native Italy in 1913 at the age of 15. He worked as a day laborer, managing to send money home as he traveled between the two countries. Pop moved his family, including his 4-year-old son Antonio, to the U.S. at the outbreak of World War II. They flourished in America, and Antonio graduated at the top of his high school class. However, college wasn’t an option.
His son, Frank A. Casagrande, was able to further his education after high school and graduated from Union College with a degree in applied mathematics in 1980, making his family extremely proud. He later earned a master’s degree in teaching and an executive compensation certificate.
A firm believer in the adage, “man plans, and God laughs,” Frank A. Casagrande has been successful in different careers throughout his life. He served as a middle and high school teacher, an adjunct professor at Rutgers University and Montclair State University, worked in tax benefits and actuarial services at a consultancy, and spent a decade as the head of the higher education sector at Hay Group.
In 2009, Casagrande founded Casagrande Consulting, which has gone on to serve more than 100 institutions of higher learning since its inception. It has provided clients with assessment, analyses, and other services in three main categories: executive, faculty, and staff compensation effectiveness; board effectiveness; and leadership effectiveness.
Casagrande gifted the future of his company to Viterbo University effective July 1, 2024. It then became the Casagrande Institute for Higher Education Effectiveness and is part of the university’s Center for Professional Learning.
“The gift was a way for me to give back to higher education what it gave to my family and me,” said Casagrande, who continues to serve as an executive in residence. “Being able to do that is more than I ever dreamt possible.”
At Viterbo, the Casagrande Institute continues to specialize in serving institutions of higher education and offering the same services to clients.
“I just knew Viterbo was the right place because of who it serves,” said Casagrande of his decision of where to gift the future of his business. “They have many first-generation students and others who need financial aid to attend college, and that’s similar to my family background. I also greatly appreciate the university’s Catholic, Franciscan values, their care for veterans, and I have great faith in their leaders and their willingness to think outside the box. Viterbo changes lives through the education it provides for generations to come.”