John C. Austin

John Austin is a senior fellow with the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College (EI), leading the organization’s work on international economy-building and strengthening democracy. Austin has created and facilitates impactful international partnerships and initiatives, including the trans-Atlantic Transforming Industrial Heartlands Initiative ; partnerships to promote and implement “ally-shoring”; and international collaborations to help democracies maintain global innovation and economic leadership. Austin also serves as a non–resident senior fellow with the Brookings Institution, where for over 20 years he has led efforts to support economic transformation in the American Midwest and in the industrial heartlands of Western democracies.  

Prior to joining EI, Austin created and led for 12 years the Michigan Economic Center, a network-building and policy development organization to spur the transformation of Michigan’s economy. As part of this work, Austin coined the term “Blue Economy” to describe the way our waters and water innovation contribute to economic growth. He also created the “Growing Michigan’s Blue Economy” Initiative to support stakeholders in leveraging Michigan’s water and water research, education, and innovation assets for economic development and new business and job growth. Austin also initiated the Global Detroit program to welcome immigrants as a source of economic strength and renewal, and supported its replication in communities across the country.   

Austin also served for 16 years as a statewide elected official, leading the Michigan State Board of Education, the state’s education and higher education policymaking body, including six years elected by his peers to serve as board president. 

In 2006, Austin created and directed the Great Lakes Economic Initiative for the Brookings Institution. His work has directly shaped and informed the region’s economic development agenda, including the current national investments in chips and science, innovation, and infrastructure, as well as new federal support for Great Lakes clean-up and restoration. He served as founding director of the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan—a $100 million effort by the region’s philanthropies to aid in the area’s economic transformation.  

Austin also served as policy director for Michigan’s governor-appointed Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth, and was principal author of the Commission’s influential report. He also was the chief architect of Governor Jennifer Granholm’s urban strategy, and helped stand up her Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth and a state workforce development strategy. 

Austin has lectured and keynoted events around the world on the themes of economic development and renewal, strengthening democracy, and fostering a dynamic, innovation-led economy. Austin’s work has been published by Foreign Policy, the Brookings Institution, National Interest, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Hill, The Korea Times, TIME Magazine, Newsweek, Mexico Today, Politico, Fortune, Forbes, Barron’s, The Economist, BBC, Voice of America, Times Higher Education, and Nikkei News, among dozens of local, national, and international media outlets.

Austin received his master’s degree in public administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Swarthmore College, with high honors and Phi Beta Kappa.