InvestUP CEO Marty Fittante earns Bay College’s Distinguished Alumni Award

ESCANABA, Mich. (WLUC) - Bay College has officially announced its Distinguished Alumnus of the Year for 2022.

This year’s award will go to Marty Fittante, the former chief of staff for state Sen. Tom Casperson and the current CEO of InvestUP.

“It’s humbling – it’s a very kind honor, but the overriding sentiment is that it’s humbling. Reflecting back on the other students who have been named Alumni of the Year, it’s incredible to be among those individuals,” Fittante said in a press release.

An Escanaba native, Fittante attended Bay between 1984 and 1986. After earning his Juris Doctor degree and other credentials downstate, he returned to Escanaba and practiced law for 12 years. Fittante then went on to serve as Casperson’s chief of staff for almost the entirety of Casperson’s political career. In the fall of 2018, he accepted the CEO position at InvestUP, a regional economic organization whose mission is to drive prosperity across the Upper Peninsula through strategic growth initiatives.

“Bay College’s Alumni Association is pleased to honor Marty as the 2022 Alumnus of the Year. His qualifications and outstanding leadership skills made him the perfect candidate, and Bay College is excited to have him as a guest speaker at next year’s Commencement,” Advancement Services Manager Vicki DeGrand said.

Bay’s Distinguished Alumni Award was established in 1999 by the Alumni Association to annually recognize an outstanding graduate who has contributed to their career, the community, and the college. The award selection process focuses on the following criteria: Education, Leadership, Service to the College and/or Community, Honors and Awards, and Distinction in the Nominee’s Career Field. Previous award recipients include Susan Cobb (2021), Holly Way (2020), and Patrick Johnson (2019).