About the Editor

Ron Coan (aka “The Curmudgeon”) is the Editor of C2ER’s Journal of Applied Economic Development and an Senior Research Fellow for the Center of Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC). Ron is the author of History of American State and Economic Development: As Two Ships Pass in the Night (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2017). RonC2 Ron possesses a Ph.D. from Miami University of Ohio in Political Science and Public Administration. He’s taught at Truman College and was a tenured faculty at Canisius College; in both instances he was Program Chair for Urban Studies/Public Administration. Since his so-called retirement in 2005, Ron has taught full time as a member of the graduate faculty at Marist College, and former adjunct at Johns Hopkins (Carey School of Business)  and, until 2015 taught history courses in the Dutchess County/Anne Arundel Community Colleges. To complete the picture, Ron also taught part-time at Attica Prison for several years. He was not an inmate.

As an economic development professional, Ron was:

  • Assistant City Manager in Kirksville Missouri, a neighborhood
  • a neighborhood and housing activist during the early 1980s (Buffalo, New York)
  • a member of a team which elected the first ever (and only) Democratic County Executive in Erie County, New York,
  • Economic Development Coordinator and First Deputy Commissioner for the Erie County Department of Environment & Planning
  • President/CEO of the Erie County Industrial Development Agency Group (six separate corporations)
  • County Executive’s JTPA/WIA Coordinator
  • Vice Chair and Acting Chair of the 1993 World University Games, decade long member of Erie County MEP Board of Directors
  • President/CEO of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation (and Tourism Agency)

During his career, Ron served on the Board and a Chair of the New York State Economic Development Council and served for a decade on the Boards of the Council of Urban Economic Development/International Economic Development Council. Ron has successfully achieved CEcD certification (now expired) and served for five years on its Certification Committee; he has participated in numerous special CUED/IEDC community task forces, the latest in 2008 being New Orleans. Ron has also presented several certification workshops for the American Planning Association and has been involved in several consulting opportunities.

Professionally, Ron has extensive experience in Industrial Revenue Bonds (issuance in excess of $5 billion), PILOT agreements, RLF loans (over 1100 loans), and a micro loan fund. He established a venture capital investment corporation, whose track record today includes two publicly-traded corporations.

Internationally, Ron has been the recipient of a MITI grant for economic development study/travel in Japan. He was part of a four member World Bank/InterAmerican Development Bank team to Colombia which helped establish the first secondary market in that nation. He served as Vice Chair and Acting Chair of the 1993 World University Games, featuring 127 nations over 7000 athletes/coaches.

Personally, Ron is usually obnoxious but somehow married for forty-five years, two children, two cats, currently retired as he defines it, apparently somewhat restless, still working on the definitive book on local economic development (with C2ER support and involvement), and dedicated to harassing readers of the Journal of Applied Economic Development.