John Holden

John is a native of Columbus, Ohio and received a BS from Bowling Green State University before getting his Masters in Community Economics from the University of Maine. John has been in the field of community economic development for over 25 years advising and assisting communities to build resilient local economies and organizing regional collaborations. He has nurtured and implemented several communities, downtown, and regional economic development initiatives. John helped organize and launch the Virginia Smart Community Testbed and is now the Smart City Manager in the City of Raleigh, North Carolina.