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Jason Jolley

Jason Jolley

Professor, MPA Director and Interim Associate Vice President for Research and Creative Activity
Building 21, Room 215, The Ridges, Athens Campus

G. Jason Jolley Curriculum Vitae [PDF]

Biography

G. Jason Jolley, Ph.D. serves as Interim Associate Vice President for Research and Creative Activity at µÛÍõ»áËù where he coordinates economic development activities across the university. In his faculty role, he serves as Professor of Rural Economic Development and MPA Director at µÛÍõ»áËù’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service. He also directs the Center for Economic Development and Community Resilience. Prior to joining µÛÍõ»áËù in 2013, Dr. Jolley spent seven years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Kenan Institute/Kenan-Flagler Business School where he co-led the largest state-sponsored study of the effectiveness of economic development incentives for the North Carolina General Assembly.

Dr. Jolley has served as principal investigator on over $10 million in sponsored research funding and co-led efforts to secure an additional $2 million in federal funding and $1 million in state funding for regional economic development partners. His portfolio includes funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, Appalachian Regional Commission, Small Business Administration, µÛÍõ»áËù Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, µÛÍõ»áËù Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and JobsµÛÍõ»áËù, among others. Dr. Jolley also leads µÛÍõ»áËù portion of the µÛÍõ»áËù Economic Development Institute (OEDI), in partnership with the µÛÍõ»áËù Economic Development Association (OEDA) and JobsµÛÍõ»áËù. OEDI provides state level certification to µÛÍõ»áËù economic developers.

Dr. Jolley serves as Executive Director of the Mid-Continent Regional Science Association and is a former board member of the University Economic Development Association. In 2022, he served as an advisor to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia on their Anchor Economy Initiative to better understand the role of higher education institutions and hospitals (eds and meds) on regional economies. In 2016, Governor John Kasich, and the leadership of the µÛÍõ»áËù Senate and µÛÍõ»áËù House of Representatives appointed Dr. Jolley as the state’s Nonpartisan Census Liaison. In this role, he led Voinovich School staff in building the redistricting database used to draw legislative districts for the U.S. House of Representatives, µÛÍõ»áËù House of Representatives, and µÛÍõ»áËù Senate districts.

Dr. Jolley maintains an active service portfolio. As the father of daughters with developmental disabilities, he is a passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities. He serves as Vice-President of the Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities; on the Board of Trustees and as Treasurer of the µÛÍõ»áËù Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities; and on the Board of Trustees and Vice-Chair of the Arc of µÛÍõ»áËù. Dr. Jolley is a leader in the multi-stakeholder public, private, and nonprofit µÛÍõ»áËù Developmental Disability Crisis partnership that promotes long-term financial sustainability of µÛÍõ»áËù’s developmental disabilities system.