Bio

SNAPSHOT

Ron’s last position previous to his retirement in 2017 was the Editor of the Journal of Applied Economic Development and a Senior Research Fellow for the Alexandria DC-based Center of Regional Economic Competitiveness (C2ER). Ron was a C2ER Senior Fellow (since 2009) and Editor of the Journal of Applied Research in Economic Development (since 2012).

Previous to 2009, I was CEO of ECIDA, (the Erie County Industrial Development Corporation) a multi-EDO conglomerate, with links to the Erie County Private Industry Council, and the area Convention/Tourism Center (1990-2001). From 2001 to 2005 he was CEO of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation. Ron was Vice Chair, and then Acting Chair, of the Buffalo World University Games in 1993 (1987-1995). His earlier experience was with Erie County as First Deputy Commissioner of Environment & Planning, and Economic Development Coordinator for the County Executive between 1987 and 1990.

My academic career included a tenured Assistant Professor at Canisius College (1979-1986) and before that Truman College (1777-1779). In both instances he was Director of their Public Administration or Urban Studies programs. In 2004-2006 he taught Public Management and Public Policy for the Graduate School of Marist College. I have also taught history as a adjunct at community colleges since 2006, the last, at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland, overlapped his residence in the Washington DC area (eight years). In 2012 he taught an Economic Development in the Johns Hopkins School of Business. He also taught two and one/half years part-time at Attica Prison in upstate New York.

Throughout this career he has also engaged in a substantial number of task forces with IEDC and CUED, and has been retained as consultant in specific projects by entities such as EDA, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, American Planning Association, the City of New Orleans Hurricane Disaster Revitalization Project, Mobile AL Chamber of Commerce, and over two decades a number of others. He also was recipient of MITI (Japan) grant to train in Tokyo for export technical assistance to American companies. He and a team of specialists were sent to Columbia on behalf of the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank to advise and advocate on introducing securitization for a $250 million loan to Colombian banks and government bodies for lending to Colombian business.. Columbia at the time was in the midst of a civil and drug war.

Ron is the author of the recently published History of American State and Local Economic Development: As Two Ships Pass in the Night (Edward Elgar, 2017).  The book is the first comprehensive history of American state and local ED, taking us back to the Civil War through 1990 (or so). A second and third volume, both prequels to “As Two Ships Pass in the Night“, is the job for which Ron retired and has worked on since.

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