Brad McDearman

Brad McDearman was a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings Metro. McDearman was an expert in taking new research to ground in states and metro areas to catalyze change in economic development practice. McDearman’s experience included in-depth projects on a broad cross section of topics, including exports, foreign direct investment, inclusive growth, innovation and entrepreneurship, industry clusters, business retention and expansion, and business attraction.

McDearman worked closely with city, regional, and state leaders in developing market assessments and customized strategic plans, and then identified ways in which the insights and lessons from these projects could be broadly shared to help additional regions develop their own cutting-edge strategies. Recent examples included Brookings’ Inclusive Economic Development Lab and the Global Cities Initiative, which together involved project work in over 25 U.S. metro areas. McDearman also translated on-the-ground findings gained from close interaction with firms and service providers from across the country into policy implications for the economic development field and for federal and state decision makers.

McDearman served as Principal for McDearman Associates, an economic development consulting firm. Previous experience included positions as executive vice president of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore; senior manager involved in site selection and economic development with Deloitte/Fantus Consulting; and major accounts manager with the Xerox Corporation.

McDearman held an M.B.A. and M.R.P. (Master of City and Regional Planning) degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Kentucky.