On January 16, 2019, School of Government faculty member Jonathan Morgan was a featured speaker at the launch of Homegrown Tools for Economic Development, a database created by NCGrowth, an affiliate center of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at UNC-Chapel Hill. The event can be viewed in its entirety at the Kenan Institute's YouTube channel.

The web tool connects public officials, practitioners, and researchers to successful small-town economic development strategies, some of which are from the School of Government publication, Small Towns, Big Ideas. Additional partners in creating and promoting the database include the UNC Department of City and Regional Planning, the North Carolina Rural Center, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

Morgan joined the School of Government in 2003. Prior to that, he worked for an economic and workforce development consulting firm, Regional Technology Strategies, Inc. He has also served as director of economic policy and research for the N.C. Department of Commerce, as well as research and policy director for the N.C. Institute of Minority Economic Development. His research has appeared in the International Journal of Economic Development and Popular Government. Morgan earned a BA from the University of Virginia, an MPA from Clark Atlanta University, and a PhD in public administration from North Carolina State University.

For more information about the event, visit the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise website.

To download Morgan’s publication, Economic Development Handbook, visit the School of Government website.

Photo courtesy of Kenan Institute for Private Enterprise.