John Provo
Associate Director
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.
Phone: (540) 231-4004
Fax: (540) 231-8850
Email: jprovo@vt.edu
