“Shared values are a set of policies and operating practices embedded within an organization that enhance its competitiveness, while also ameliorating social and economic pressures. In other words, business growth and community progress need not be mutually exclusive.”
Eric Anthony Johnson has dedicated his career to pioneering community development solutions that have a lasting impact on people and places. As community development director for the City of Bloomington, the third largest city Minnesota, he has tested innovative ways to use resources and development tools that increase production of affordable housing, especially for people who earn less than 30 percent of the area median income.
Previously, he managed urban redevelopment issues for public, private and nonprofit sectors as the principal of his consulting firm, Urban Regeneration Advisors, and as part of a national consulting network, Tripp Umbach, where he served as senior consultant and special advisor on projects related to real estate market studies, economic impact analysis and urban development strategy. He is former chief development officer for Horizon Development in Charlotte, N.C., and has held real estate director and management positions for the Cleveland Port Authority and the City of Charlotte. He was also the director of housing & urban improvement in Pompano Beach, Fla.
Johnson earned his PhD in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware, a Masters of Public Administration from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a B.A. in political science from Washburn University in Topeka, Kan. He is an alumnus of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design Advanced Management Development Program in Real Estate.
Organization:
City of Bloomington, Minn.
Area of Focus:
Affordable housing/economic development
Fellowship Project:
Conduct research and develop a guidance tool that integrates a “shared values” framework into city development plans to help mitigate economic inequality.