John Austin - (EI)

John Austin is a Senior Fellow with the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College, leading work on international economy-building and democracy strengthening. He also serves as a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he has directed efforts to support economic transformation in the American Midwest and industrial heartlands of Western democracies for over 20 years. Prior to joining EI, Austin created and led the Michigan Economic Center, a network-building organization that advanced the state's economic transformation. He coined the term "Blue Economy" and catalyzed initiatives in the Great Lakes region and globally. Austin previously served 16 years on the Michigan State Board of Education, including 6 years as Board President. He holds a Master's in Public Administration from Harvard's Kennedy School and a BA from Swarthmore in Economics & Political Science, with High Honors and Phi Beta Kappa.