John Provo, Ph.D.

John Provo is the executive director of Virginia Tech's Center for Economic & Community Engagement. Provo provides leadership for the university in the design and implementation of its economic engagement mission. A “pracademic,” he has almost 25 years of experience in higher education and government. He builds relationships between businesses, communities, and the university and leads a team that delivers applied research projects that create economic opportunities.

Provo received his Ph.D. from the School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University. He received a master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1999 and a bachelor's degree in government from the College of William and Mary in 1989. While in Richmond, he worked for Virginia's Secretary of Commerce and Trade on implementation of revisions to the state's workforce development system.