My work spans workforce development, economic development, education/place-based scholarships, community development, and economic impact analysis. This experience allows me to apply rigorous methodologies and analytical tools to clearly assess challenges and opportunities and inform effective decision-making.

Workforce Development

Can Anyone Learn to Code? A Qualitative Study of Place-Based Information Technology Training Programs. (2025). Can Anyone Learn to Code? A Qualitative Study of Place-Based Information Technology Training Programs. Economic Development Quarterly, 39(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/08912424241276845 [with Nicholas Martens]

Time to Expand?! A Workforce Study of Occupations in the Greater Cleveland Area. May 2022.(Prepared for the Construction Diversity Committee Commission on Economic Inclusion Greater Cleveland Partnership Cleveland, Ohio [with Jim Robey and Gerrit Anderson]).

How Illinois Manufacturers are Adopting Advanced Technologies: An Insight Report on Automation, Workforce, and Productivity. August 2021. (Prepared for the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) [with Nicholas Martens, Jim Robey, and Ken Voytek]).

SummerWorks Impact Report. August 2019. (Prepared for KentuckianaWorks [with Sarah Ehresman, Kris Stephens, and Angie Tombari]).

The State of Workforce Spending in Kentucky. August 2019. (Prepared for KentuckianaWorks).

Economic Development

Place Distress and Job Growth: Are Recent Job Growth Trends Significantly More Favorable for Distressed Counties? May 2024. [with Tim Bartik and Kyle Huisman]).

Broadly Shared Local Economic Success Since 2000: New Measures and New Lessons for Communities. March 2024. [with Tim Bartik, Brad Hershbein, and Kyle Huisman]).

Fiscal Impacts: A Literature Review. July 2020. (Prepared for the Fund for our Economic Future [with Jim Robey]).

Strategic Reshoring: A Literature Review. July 2020. (Prepared for The Fund for Our Economic Future [with Jim Robey]).

Agglomeration Economies: A Literature Review. June 2020. (Prepared for The Fund for Our Economic Future [with Jim Robey]).

EDucation and Place-bAsed Scholarships

The Kalamazoo Promise: A Piece in the Puzzle of Housing Preferences. April 2024. W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research [with Alfonso Hernandez]).

Housing Instability’s Toll on Students: Insights from Kalamazoo Public Schools District Renters. April 2024. W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research [with Val Klomparens and Bridget Timmeney].

Behind the Numbers: Comparing College-Going Outcomes of Kalamazoo Public Schools to Those of Similar Urban School Districts in Michigan. October 2023. W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research [with Brad Hershbein].

Unequal Usage: Geographic Disparities and the Michigan Reconnect Program. July 2023. W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research [with Kyle Huisman].

The Kalamazoo Promise “Sweet 16,” Summary Study Results: 16 Key Findings from 16 Years Studying the Kalamazoo Promise. May 2022. (Prepared for the Kalamazoo Promise [with Isabel McMullen]).

Community Analysis

An Assessment of the Economic Conditions in the City of Battle Creek. April 2021. (Prepared for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation [with Jim Robey and Gerrit Anderson])

South Haven Community Health Assessment. December 2020. (Prepared for the City of South Haven [with Jim Robey, Gerrit Anderson, Claudette Robey, George Erickcek, and Emily Boyle]).

Economic Outlook for Lakeshore Advantage: Getting to 2030. September 2020. (Prepared for Lakeshore Advantage [with Jim Robey, Gerrit Anderson, and Emily Boyle.])

Community Health Assessment – Kalamazoo County. November 2019. (Prepared for Bronson Healthcare [with Jim Robey and Gerrit Anderson]).

Community Health Assessment – Van Buren County. November 2019. (Prepared for Bronson Healthcare [with Jim Robey and Gerrit Anderson]).

Assessing Community Needs: City of Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio. May 2019. (Prepared for the Toledo Community Foundation [with Stephen Biddle, Don Edgerly, Marie Holler, Brian Pittelko, Claudette Robey, Jim Robey, and Tom Schorgl]).

Economic Conditions in Fostoria, Ohio. November 2018. (Prepared for the Toledo Regional Growth Partnership [with Jim Robey, Claudette Robey, Marie Holler, and Brian Pittelko]).

Urban Growth Initiative for Greater Downtown Kalamazoo. March 2018. (Supported by the City of Kalamazoo and the Brownfield Development Authority [with Randall W. Eberts, Lee Adams, Jim Robey, Don Edgerly, Marie Holler, Brian Pittelko, and Claudette Robey]).

Economic Impact Analysis

Economic Impact of Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine. March 2021. (Prepared for Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine [with Jim Robey]).

The National-Level Economic Impact of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP): Estimates for Fiscal Year 2020. January 2021. (Prepared for the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership [with Jim Robey, Natalie Patten, & Edison Rolle]).

The National-Level Economic Impact of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP): Estimates for Fiscal Year 2019. May 2020. (Prepared for the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership [with Jim Robey, Randall Eberts, Natalie Patten, & Nick Perttunen]).

Estimating the Economic Impacts of Gull Lake View Golf Club and Resort. October 2018. (Prepared for Gull Lake View Golf Club, Inc. [with Jim Robey, Stephen Biddle, Claudette Robey, Marie Holler, and Brian Pittelko]).

The National‐Level Economic Impact of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP): Estimates for Fiscal Year 2017. April 2018. (Prepared for the National Institute of Standards and Technology [NIST] and Manufacturing Extension Partnership [MEP] [with Randall W. Eberts, Jim Robey, Marie Holler, Brian Pittelko, and Claudette Robey]).

The National-Level Economic Impact of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. April 2017. (Prepared for Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) [with Jim Robey]).

Estimating the Impacts of PlazaCorp Investments Related to the Acquisition of the Arcadia Ramp in Downtown Kalamazoo on the Region. January 2017. (Prepared for Plazacorp [with Jim Robey, Randall Eberts, and Claudette Robey]).