Dr. Edward Feser
Dr. Edward Feser is Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Research Associate Professor at the Regional Economics Applications Laboratory (REAL).   Dr. Feser oversees research on local and regional economic development strategies, the development of methods and datasets for understanding regional economic change and competitiveness, and the study of economic development policy making processes and politics.  In addition, Dr. Feser teaches courses in state and local economic development policy, regional development theory, urban and regional analysis, and urban spatial structure. His research focuses on the forces influencing the growth, decline, economic adjustment, and industrial restructuring of cities and regions. He has published work on technology-oriented economic development, theories of industry clustering, industry cluster analysis methods, agglomeration economies and industrial productivity, migration and regional economic distress, regional influences on process technology adoption in manufacturing, and the improvement of data and spatial-analytical techniques for local development practice. Currently he is studying economic development policy making processes and the role that universities can play in assisting states and regions undertake strategic economic development planning. 

Dr. Feser's research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the World Bank, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the German Marshall Fund of the United States, as well as multiple state and local agencies. He is involved in the development and operation of  NEURUS —the Network for European-U.S. Regional and Urban Studies—a consortium of universities in the U.S., the Netherlands, Germany and Austria. 

Dr. Feser taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for seven years prior to coming to UIUC in 2004. In 2003 he served as Assistant Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, where he acted as chief economist and senior policy advisor to the Secretary and directed the reorganization and expansion of the agency's Division of Policy, Research and Strategic Planning. He continues to work closely with state and local governments on issues related to his research and acts regularly as a consultant to the corporate sector, government, non-profit development agencies, and economic development planning firms.  

Dr. Kenneth Poole
Dr. Kenneth E. Poole is CEO of the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) and Executive Director, ACCRA.  Dr. Poole has managed economic development research, analysis, and technical assistance efforts for 23 years.  In January 2000, Dr. Poole formed the Center as an independent non-profit affiliated with George Mason University and ACCRA-the Council for Community and Economic Research.  CREC focuses on developing a stronger understanding of how regional economies can compete effectively in the knowledge-based economy.  As part of those efforts, Dr. Poole directs a national nonprofit membership organization (ACCRA) serving economic and community development researchers in communities, states, academia, and the private sector.  In his capacity of Executive Director, Dr. Poole oversees all program development activities of the organization including its research and professional training activities.  

As CEO of the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness, Dr. Poole is undertaking organizational development, strategic planning, network building, and technical assistance efforts to foster knowledge-based economic development.  Recent projects have involved managing a four-year multi-county regional analysis and strategy process for 12 counties in western North Carolina, guiding a 13-county legislatively mandated vision plan for a 13-county region in eastern North Carolina, conducting several industry-related workforce studies (particularly for the solar and construction trades sectors) for Arizona, conducing a national study of state economic development governance,  and assisting in facilitating a regional economic strategy for a 13-county region crossing the Texas-Oklahoma border .  For the past five years, Dr. Poole has worked with the State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI) to develop a stronger relationship between federal and state investors in the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership program.  Dr. Poole speaks frequently to national and statewide audiences of local leaders and economic development professionals.  He also worked with the National Center on Education and the Economy and the National Association of Workforce Boards to develop a training program focused on bringing economic and workforce development policy leaders together, presenting the course in several venues across the country from Washington, DC to Monterey, CA.  He recently served as the lead consultant in developing a workforce development strategy for the Durham, NC, Workforce Board and developing policy implications from a cluster study completed for the Upper Rio Grande (El Paso) Workforce Board.  He coordinated the development of a national database of more than 1600 state community and business incentive programs, and is aiding three counties in southern Arizona in implementing a strategic planning effort led by workforce and economic development leaders.

Before joining ACCRA in 2000, he served 6 years as the Director of Domestic Economic Development for the National Association of State Development Agencies. In that capacity, he provided technical assistance and research support to state and local economic development professionals across the US.  He developed new project opportunities in technology-based economic development, economic and policy research, and the organization of state-based economic development initiatives.  For instance, one project involved a 1999 study of program evaluation activities being implemented by more than 900 state economic development initiatives for the US Economic Development Administration.  Another involved managing a study of high technology and manufacturing in the State of Alabama and developing the program operating procedures for a new state-sponsored applied industry research program.  Before joining NASDA, Dr. Poole served 8 years as Director of Technical Assistance and Research for the National Council for Urban Economic Development (now, the International Economic Development Council), managing all publications and technical assistance activities in more than 40 communities across the US.
On behalf of ACCRA, Dr. Poole oversees an on-going national data collection effort, the ACCRA Cost of Living Index and training programs for economic development practitioners, including a national training institute conducted in collaboration with George Mason University, the University of North Texas, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and several other institutions.  Dr. Poole also teaches and coordinates training offerings related to impact analysis, research design methods, cluster analysis, benchmarking, targeting, and other regional economic analyses targeted to economic developers.  

Dr. Poole holds a Ph.D. in Regional Development Policy from George Mason University, a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from The American University, and a B.A. in Political Science and Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  
 
Dr. Mark White
Dr. Mark White is research manager at ACCRA – the Council for Community and Economic Research.  He joined the Center in September 2004 to manage a number of research and technical assistance projects.  These projects include a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the Isothermal Planning and Development Commission in Western North Carolina, a Visioning Plan for North Carolina’s Eastern Region Partnership, as well as assisting in the implementation of a CEDS focused around Hickory, North Carolina. In addition, he recently completed a comprehensive workforce analysis for the Durham (NC) Workforce Development Board and an assessment of the skills and training needs of the construction trades industry for the Arizona Department of Commerce. Among his current ongoing projects include an assessment of the skills and training needs of the Arizona Solar Power Industry, and a nationwide survey designed to assess the role of Community Colleges in Economic Development. He also coordinates ACCRA’s research and training programs, including the creation of a national database of local taxes affecting businesses.

Prior to joining the Center, Dr. White served as a post-doctoral research fellow at the National University of Ireland’s Centre for Innovation and Structural Change (CISC) in Galway.  In that position, he conducted qualitative and quantitative research to assess the regional development consequences of foreign direct investment, particularly as related to investment in internationally-traded services. This research has been published in peer-reviewed journals in the field of regional development and economic geography such as Environment and Planning A, European Urban and Regional Studies and European Planning Studies.  

In the process of completing his doctoral work, Dr. White served as an instructor in World Geography and a GIS/Cartographer at the University of Miami (FL).  He also served as a business research intern for the Beacon Council—Miami-Dade County’s primary economic development organization. Dr. White earned his Ph.D. in International Studies with a focus on economic development from the University of Miami (FL), his M.A. in Geography from the Maxwell School Of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, and his B.A. in Geography at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. 
 
Tom Tveidt
Tom Tveidt is the President and founder of SYNEVA Economics LLC, and Director of the Asheville Metro Business Research Center (AMBRC), a service of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce in Asheville, North Carolina. Mr. Tveidt’s experience is unique in that his work extends across both private and public sectors. Working in partnership with such widely respected firms as the Competitive Strategies Group, McCallum Sweeney Consulting, The Facility Group, and Applied Marketing Sciences, Mr. Tveidt has led the economic analysis activities in a wide variety of community and private-industry projects. As part of those efforts, Mr. Tveidt has performed numerous community economic assessments nationwide, many of which have led to the implementation of entirely new economic development strategies. Assisting economic development consultants and community leaders, Mr. Tveidt’s work has defined appropriate regional industry targets and provided the economic and demographic rationale for community economic development efforts. Collaborating closely with site selectors and consultants, Mr. Tveidt has assisted private corporations in the highly critical field of firm site selection. As Director of the AMBRC, Mr. Tveidt is responsible for the analysis and dissemination of economic and demographic information of the Asheville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Mr. Tveidt currently authors publications on regional economics which enjoy a monthly readership of about 13,000. He regularly speaks before business groups, government organizations and public groups, detailing regional economic trends and issues. Mr. Tveidt is frequently quoted in newspapers, business journals, and TV news programs.
Mr. Tveidt has been an invited instructor for both the National Association of State Development Agencies (NASDA) and the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). His courses focus on the accurate and effective presentation of regional economic data. Currently Mr. Tveidt sits on the Editorial Review Board for the journal Applied Research in Economic Development. Mr. Tveidt is a board member of C2ER and an active member of the National Association of Business Economics. Mr. Tveidt has a BA in Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, California, and an MBA in Finance from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California.

Hillary Sherman
Hillary Sherman was the first Director of the "Know Your Region" project, from the Project's inception until September of 2008.Under her leadership, the Project was recognized in the EDA's 2007 Annual Report as one of the best uses of grant funds. She was also responsible for the successful launch of the inaugural Know Your Region Workshop, held in Arlington VA in the summer of '07. 

Prior to this position, Hillary worked as a socioeconomic researcher and project manager for the IEF's Key Indicator for Sustainable Development project.  In this capacity Hillary was responsible for researching and writing policy and academic literature reviews, conducting economic and fiscal impact assessments, and providing technical editing and writing services.    While in this position Hillary worked with the Chancellor of Western Carolina University on a manuscript entitled “Toward a Policy Framework for Higher Education in the Knowledge Economy.”  This 307-page work incorporates research on economic theory, policy, regionalism, clustering, and offers possible solutions for how regions might survive in a global economy.

 After graduating from Elon University with a degree in Medicine/English, she initiated an education program for at-risk youth in rural Pennsylvania.  In this capacity, Ms. Sherman was responsible for managing all aspects of the project, including curriculum development, dissemination, and project implementation.   Hillary was selected as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in 2004 and attended the National University of Ireland, Galway, where she earned a Master in Law degree in International Human Rights Law.  She presented research at the International Conference on History, Settlements, and Change in Galway, in 2005.

Dr. Arnold Packer
Dr. Arnold Packer is a nationally renowned workforce development specialist.  Dr. Packer was Director of the SCANS 2000 Center Johns Hopkins University.   He is currently a senior policy fellow with the IEF and serves as a private consultant to the Urban Health Institute at Hopkins and CEO of Interactive Training, LLC.   Dr. Packer is the co-author of the 1987 book “Workforce 2000”.  This work has been heralded by the NY Times, the Washington Post, and Business Week.  Dr. Packer was the principal author of the SCANS Workforce Development report, a report that has become the basis for industry skill standards and school curricula throughout the nation.  His governmental experiences include serving as the first Chief Economist for the Senate Budget Committee and working as the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Evaluation, and Research at the U.S. Department of Labor from 1997 to 1980.  He holds a doctorate in Economics from UNC Chapel Hill.   
 

Jose Kuhn
Mr. Jose Kuhn served as the Director of the Center of Digital Entrepreneurship until March of 2008. In this capacity Mr. Kuhn oversaw the Digital Heritage Project, the Education Media Grid, Post-Op Care Digital Library and the Entrepreneurial Network, and was actively involved in the use of digital media for viral marketing, online training, event motion imagery, digital content delivery applications, and digital packaging of complex data and information for general use.  Mr. Kuhn previously served as an Emerging Technology Analyst with the IEF.   

Prior to joining the Institute, Mr. Kuhn was a Systems Administrator, CAD Administrator, and Interactive Technology Developer for Lee Nichols Clark Patterson, a Charlotte-based Architectural and Engineering firm. At LNCP Mr. Kuhn created interactive materials for client projects, presentations and marketing as well as animated 3D Visualizations.

Mr. Kuhn also worked for 3 years as a freelance web and interactive technology programmer. His experience includes, creating interactive marketing materials for medical device companies, Interactive Web applications for medical service companies, and implementing a content management system for minor league soccer teams.

Mr. Kuhn’s software background and experience includes Adobe Director, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Flash MX 2004 Studio 8, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign CS, Acrobat, After Effects Pro, Apple's Final Cut Pro. Filemaker Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Motion, MS Office, Roxio Toast, BBEdit, Primebase SQL, Witango 5, Apache Web Server, Live Stage Studio Pro, Mac OS X 10.2-4 Server, Windows 2000 Professional, XP Professional, Corel Painter 8, Dantz Restrospect, MySQL v4-5, Electric Image Animation System Universe v4-6, Maxon Cinema XL, PHP 4/5, and Apple Keynote.  Jose earned his B.A. in Mathematics from UNC Asheville.