Gareth Potts

Biography

Since 2019 Gareth has taught at regional universities and community colleges – World Geography at Howard Community College; Global Studies at Hood College; and Multicultural Cities to master’s students at Virginia Tech. Before that, he was a Senior Economic Development Associate at the International Economic Development Council in Washington, DC where he led research on the future of local economic development and economic resiliency for areas hit by extreme weather. His earlier U.S. work included consultancy for the French American Foundation (a review of challenges facing US cities) and the American Communities Trust (this included a review of socio-economic data and issues for a community group in the Westport area of Baltimore). 

Gareth is a British citizen who came to the U.S. in 2012 – initially on a German Marshall Fund International Fellowship looking at parks, libraries, and other civic assets in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Metro Detroit, and Baltimore. Before this he worked: in UK central government as a policy advisor; as director of research and policy at the former British Urban Regeneration Association; as a consultant for the Economic Development Unit at the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham; as a senior researcher at think-and-do tanks the New Economics Foundation and Young Foundation; manager at Marsh Farm Community Development Trust, Luton; and post-doctoral researcher on a major research project on economic competitiveness and social cohesion in London. He holds a Masters in Civic Design and a PhD in economic geography. The latter looked at the role of universities in regional economic development and was awarded by Professor Sir Peter Hall, for whom he then worked. 

Gareth lives with his wife and young daughter in Silver Spring, Maryland.