Association of Public and Land-grant Universities

James K. (Jim) Woodell is Vice President for Economic Development and Community Engagement at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), where he works with members on programs to enhance university-engaged regional economic and community development. As staff director for APLU’’s Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness and Economic Prosperity (CICEP), and also the Council on Engagement and Outreach (CEO), Dr. Woodell maintains APLU’’s strong presence in national issues related to the economic and social impacts of public research universities. Woodell earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education at Penn State University, with a scholarly focus on how public research universities organize for economic engagement. Previously, Dr. Woodell  served as assistant director for Transformative Regional Engagement (TRE) Networks, bringing together business, government, universities, and non-profits for innovation-driven regional development. Woodell holds a Master of Education from Harvard University, and a BS in Public Communications (TV, Radio, and Film) from Syracuse University.