College of Architecture and Urban Studies | School of Public and International Affairs

Associate Director, Office of Economic Development 540-231-4004 jprovo@vt.edu

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ACADEMIC BIOGRAPHY

Education

• Ph.D. in Urban Studies and Planning (Portland State University, 2005)
• M.U.R.P. in Urban and Regional Planning (Virginia Commonwealth University, 1999)
• B.A. in Government (College of William and Mary, 1989)

Areas of Specialization

• Economic and policy analysis
• Economic and community development

Biography

As the Associate Director of OED, John works on projects with faculty across the university, as well as leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors across Virginia. Improved economic outcomes, through fostering vibrant and innovative industrial clusters and prosperous entrepreneurial communities, are common objectives of his diverse areas of involvement. Some of the recent projects he has participated in include creation of a regional youth entrepreneurship program in Southwest Virginia, design of an assessment framework for Southside Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, and a statewide survey of labor market issues for the Virginia Economic Developer’s Association.

Provo received his Ph.D. in 2005 from the School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University, where he worked for the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies conducting economic and policy analysis, staffing governance processes, and managing an innovative on-line forum series focused on informing both academic and practitioners on emerging topics in economic and community development. He received a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University and a bachelor's degree in government from the College of William and Mary.

Provo’s diverse background is reflected in work experiences and publications spanning applied practice and theoretical research. After receiving his master’s degree he worked for Virginia's Secretary of Commerce and Trade on implementation of revisions to the state's workforce development system. He is the co-author of “The Portland Region in Context” a chapter in The Portland Edge: Challenges and Successes in Growing Communities, released in 2004 by Island Press. He also presents regularly before scholarly and professional associations and maintains affiliations with the American Planning Association, Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, Community Development Society, Urban Affairs Association, Virginia Downtown Development Association, and Virginia Economic Developers Association.

Courses Taught

• Housing and urban development policies and practices (undergraduate). 2002 and 2003.
  Portland State University.
• Policy analysis approaches and methods (undergraduate). 2006. Virginia Tech.
• Economic development planning studio (graduate). 2006 (With Heike Mayer) and 2007.
  Virginia Tech.
• Local and regional economic development (graduate). 2007 (With Chad Miller). Virginia
  Tech.

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RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS

Book Chapter

• Mayer, Heike and John Provo (2004). The Portland Edge in Context. In Planning a
  Livable Place: The Portland Edge. Connie Ozawa (Ed.). Washington: Island Press.

Dissertation

• Provo, John (2005). Placing Equity on the Regional Agenda in Portland, Oregon. Portland: College of Urban and Public Affairs, Portland State University.
  

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

• Provo, John (Forthcoming). Risk-averse Regionalism; the Cautionary Tale of Portland, Oregon and Affordable Housing. Journal of Planning Education and Research.
• Provo, John (2002). Planning for Regional Economic Development in Oregon: Finding a Place for Equity Issues in Regional Governance. Critical Planning Journal. Volume 9: Summer 2002. Los Angeles: UCLA Department of Urban Planning.
  

Website Review

• Oliphant, Marc and John Provo (2007). With a bright new look the U.S. Census Bureau’s business.census.gov gets ready for the MySpace generation. Applied Research in Economic Development. 4:2, 8193).

Working Papers, Professional Reports, and Other Publications

• Bruk, Boris, March Oliphant, John Provo, Sibel Atasoy, and David Nutter (2008) Community Planning and Visioning for Shenandoah, Virginia. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development.
• Mayer, Heike and John Provo (2007). Farmshoring in Virginia. News and Views: American Planning Association Economic Development Division. Fall 2007. Washington: American Planning Association.
• Mayer, Heike and John Provo (2007). Farmshoring in Virginia: Domestic Outsourcing Strategies for Linking Urban and Rural Localities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Summary report of the Economic Development Studio @ Virginia Tech. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development.
• Potter, Michael, John Provo, Sibel Atasoy, Dave Nutter, and Charlotte Anders (2007). Community Economic Development for the Eastern Shore: Summit Report. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development.
• Provo, John, Chad Miller, and Gabriel Telleria (2006). Danville Nanomanufacturing Cluster Development Analysis. Danville: Danville Community College.
• Provo, John and Dave Nutter (2006). Galax City Council Retreat Report: Economic Development. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development.
• Provo, John, Steven Hall, Chad Miller, and David Moore (2006). Franklin County Education and Workforce Indicators. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development.
• Provo John with Jill Fuglister (2005). Environment, Economy, and Equity: Can We Find a Language for Fairness in Regional Planning. Metropolitan Briefing Book. Portland: Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies.
• Provo, John and Steven Hall (2005). St. Anne’s Parish Capital Campaign Feasibility Study. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development.
• Provo, John, Bjoon Kim, and Clayton Smith (2005). Towards A Framework for Economic and Community Assessment in Southside Virginia. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development.
• Provo, John and Michael Maher (2005). Bristol Train Station Museum Feasibility Study. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development.
• Provo, John and Ramya Ramanath (2005). Virginia Economic Developers Association Member Survey on Labor Force Issues. Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development.
• Cortright, Joe, Heike Mayer, John Provo, and Ethan Seltzer (2003). A Regional Economic Development Strategy for Our Region? Metropolitan Briefing Book. Portland: Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies.
• Provo, John (2002). The Final Frontier: Using Space Under 2040. Metroscape. Portland: Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies.
• Cortright, Joe and John Provo (2001). Wood Products. New Economy Observatory 2001
  Cluster Studies. Portland: Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies.
• Cortright, Joe and John Provo (2001). Metropolitan Portland’s Nursery Industry Cluster. Final Report of the Regional Connections Project. Portland: Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies.
• Provo, John (2001). Regional Centers: Do They Work? Metroscape. Portland: Institute of
  Portland Metropolitan Studies.
• Wollner, Craig, with John Provo and Julie Schablitzky (2001). A Brief History of Urban
  Renewal in Portland, Oregon. Portland: Portland Development Commission.

National conference presentations (Peer-reviewed)

• “Farmshoring in Virginia: Domestic Outsourcing Strategies for Linking Urban and Rural Localities in the Commonwealth of Virginia.” Presentation to the University Economic Development Association, November 2007, Portland, Oregon.
• “Virginia Small Manufacturers Assistance Program.” Presentation to the University Based Economic Development Association, November 2007, Portland, Oregon.
• "Would you believe in Nanotech on Tobacco Road? Leadership in Industry Cluster Strategies in Rural Regions of Virginia." (With Chad Miller) Presented to the Annual Conference of the American Collegiate Schools of Planning, November 2006, Fort Worth, Texas.
• “Reconciling People and Place: Is There a Role for Equity in Regional Planning?” Presented to the Annual Conference of the American Collegiate Schools of Planning, October 2005, Kansas City, Kansas.
• “Building a Regional Coalition for Equity: Linking Community Activists and Regional Analysis in Portland, Oregon.” Presented to the Community Development Society Annual Conference, June 2005, Baltimore, Maryland.
• “Affordable Housing and Industrial Lands in Portland, Oregon: Finding a Place for Equity in Regional Planning.” Presented to the Annual Conference of the American Collegiate Schools of Planning, October 2004, Portland, Oregon.
• “Shifting Paradigms in Economic Development Practice: Evidence from Portland, Oregon.” (With Heike Mayer and Ethan Seltzer) Presented to the Annual Conference of the American Collegiate Schools of Planning, October 2004, Portland, Oregon.
• “Constructing Regional Equity: Affordable Housing and Economic Development in Portland, Oregon.” Presented to the Annual Meeting of the Urban Affairs Association, March 2004, Washington, DC.
• “Placing Equity Issues on the Regional Agenda in Portland, Oregon: The Case of Affordable Housing.” Presented to the Third Joint Congress of the American Collegiate School of Planning and the Association of European Schools of Planning, July 2003, Leuven, Belgium.
• “Economic Development Strategies in Metropolitan Portland: A Missing Link in Regional Planning?” (With Heike Mayer) Presented to the Annual Meeting of the Urban Affairs Association, March 2003, Cleveland, Ohio.
• “Placing Equity Planning on the Regional Agenda in Portland, Oregon.” Presented to the Annual Conference of the American Collegiate Schools of Planning, November 2002, Baltimore, Maryland.
• “Incorporating Community in Regional Economic Development in Oregon.” Presented to the Annual Meeting of the Urban Affairs Association, March 2002, Boston, Massachusetts.
• “Local Planning for Regional Economic Development in Oregon: Similarities in Two Contrasting Examples.” Presented to the Annual Conference of the American Collegiate Schools of Planning, November 2001, Cleveland, Ohio.

Invited lectures and other presentations

• “US Economic Development: The Local Context and Professional Preparation.” Lecture for delegation of Thai university presidents. November, 2007.
• “Farmshoring in Virginia: Domestic Outsourcing Strategies for Linking Urban and Rural Localities in the Commonwealth of Virginia.” Presentation to the Virginia Tech Outreach Now Conference, September 2007, Blacksburg, Virginia the Virginia Rural Summit, September 2007, Charlottesville, Virginia and presentation to the Virginia Association of Economists, Lexington, Virginia, March 2008.
• “Farmshoring: It’s not your father’s outsourcing anymore.” Lecture for Virginia Tech Urban and Public Affairs Program, graduate urban development theory course, 2007.
• “Building New Communities of Practice: The Economic Development Studio @ Virginia Tech.” (With Heike Mayer and Chad Miller) Presented to The Challenge of Engagement Conference, Third Annual University-Community Partnership Conference, July 2006, Blacksburg, Virginia.
• “200 years of Community Development and Transportation in 60 minutes.” Lecture for Virginia Tech Public Administration and Policy Program, graduate transportation policy course, 2006.
• “Are we at the end of the Buffalo Hunt?” Lecture for Virginia Tech Urban and Public Affairs Program, graduate economic development planning course, 2005.
• “A Commonwealth of Contrasts: Urban and Rural Perspective on Economic Development in Virginia.” Lecture for Virginia Tech Urban and Public Affairs Program, graduate urban development theory course, 2005.
• “Revenues, Expenditures, and Mandates: Planning History for Public Administrators.”
  Lecture for Virginia Tech, Public Administration and Policy Program, graduate local
  government administration course, 2005.
• “Economic Development at Virginia’s Land Grant University.” Lecture for Virginia Tech, Urban and Public Affairs Program, graduate economic development planning course, 2004.
• “Regions in Community Economic Development Practice.” Lecture for Portland State University, School of Urban Studies and Planning, graduate community economic development course, 2001, 2002, 2003.

Site Visits, workshops and Tours

• “Site Visit to Kentucky Christian University.” Appalachian Colleges Community Economic Development Partnership. Office of Economic Development. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Grayson, Kentucky.
• “Portland’s Sauvie Island,” Annual Conference of the American Collegiate Schools of Planning, October 2004, Portland, Oregon.
• “Silicon Chips and Pinot Noir: Portland’s Industry Clusters and the Urban Growth Boundary.” (With Heike Mayer) Mobile Workshop for the Annual Conference of the American Collegiate Schools of Planning, October 2004, Portland, Oregon.
• “Seeing Portland Through Sport: A Tour of Proposed Baseball Stadium Sites.” Students from Waseda University, Japan, 2004.
• “Portland’s Urban Growth Boundary,” Planners from Oaxaca, Mexico, 2003.