My research publications have reached tens of thousands of readers, including policymakers, practitioners, and national policy audiences.  

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

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]

Place-Based Prosperity & Regional Resilience

Ten Lessons in Public–Private Partnerships to Create Good Jobs. October 2025. W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research [with Tim Bartik, Brad Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams, Alfonso Hernandez, Kyle Huisman, Bridget Timmeney]

How Even Luxury Housing Can Help Solve the Housing Shortage. February 2025. W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

Five Key Lessons for Five Core Groups Shaping Place-Based Policy. December 2024. W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research [with Tim Bartik, Brad Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams, Alfonso Hernandez, Kyle Huisman, Bridget Timmeney]

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

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].

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

Policies for Place: How to Make Sustainable Investments in Communities. March 2024. [with Tim Bartik, Brad Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams, Lee Adams, Brian Asquith, Alfonso Hernandez, Kyle Huisman, Iryna Lendel, Gabrielle Pepin, Bridget Timmeney, Beth Truesdale, & Yulya Truskinovsky]

From Stimulus to Sustainability: Reckoning with Community Prosperity Post-ARPA. September 2023. W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research [with Tim Bartik, Brad Hershbein, Alfonso Hernandez, Kyle Huisman, & Bridget Timmeney]).

Housing Profiles. December 2022. (Prepared for the Right Place, Inc. [with Emily Petz, Lee Adams, Brian Pittelko, & Gerrit Anderson]).

Bridging Research and Practice to Achieve Community Prosperity. November 2022. [with Michelle Miller-Adams, Tim Bartik, Brad Hershbein, Kyle Huisman, Briget Timmeney, Brian Asquith, Gabrielle Pepin, Lee Adams, Jessica Brown, Gerrit Anderson, & Alison Colosky].

Industrial Policy & Technological Transformation

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]).

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]).

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]).

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]).

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]).

Workforce Development & Educational Pathways

Training Needs and Costs in Kalamazoo’s Core Neighborhoods. September 2024. W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research [with Tim Bartik, Bridget Timmeney, Zach Brown, Gerrit Anderson, Nicholas Martens, & Brian Pittelko]

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].

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]).Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

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]).

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).

Community Impact Assessment

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])

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]).

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.])

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

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]).

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]).

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]).