By Nicole Morell, Director of Communications
Since 2018, the Taubman Center has been hosting the State & Local Economic Development (SLED) Seminar, a yearlong, monthly seminar for students who are interested in public service through state and local economic development. Through readings and discussions with visiting economic development leaders from across the US, as well as experiential learning in urban and rural communities, students learn about the field of economic development and its implications for policymaking, public administration, and place-based economic impact.
Jon Stephens is President and CEO of Port KC in Kansas City, Missouri whose mission is to grow Kansas City’s port district through transportation, commerce, and development. Jon shared his insights with seminar students at HKS this spring. Learn more about his experience, his work with Port KC, and his guidance for those interested in economic development career pathways below.
How did you end up in the field of economic development?
I always had a passion for urban planning, government affairs, and communications, and ended up in the field of sports marketing, licensing and activation. As a result, I entered the private sector of “sports districts” — urban redevelopment around sports facilities. That really gave me the passion to commit to true economic development for communities and to understand the value that it could provide. I think you hear from a lot of economic development professionals that there's no one path, but it was clear to me, at least looking back, where my passions lie. I really wanted to do something in community development because I’ve seen that when economic development is done well, communities thrive; they’re transformed, and people's lives are transformed.
What challenges in the field are you focused on?
Quite a few. One of the biggest is staying committed to a path that transcends election cycles. I mean that from the local level — through council members' election cycles — and all the way to our federal and even global levels. Here at Port KC, we work globally to attract business to the Midwest and Kansas City. So, changing global geopolitics can change the perspective of what we’re doing.
At the local level, an election cycle of new council members or a new mayor or governor will bring a whole new agenda to your community. I view leadership in economic development as a space where you need to educate people and remain true to seeing things through, especially on large, multi-year projects or initiatives. For instance, here in Kansas City we’re focused on riverfront redevelopment, and that doesn't happen in one election cycle. It doesn't happen in four years. Making sure you stay committed and continue advocating to see these projects through is key, because otherwise, you end up with communities jumping from one initiative to the next and never seeing results.
What gives you hope about the field right now?
Having grown our organization immensely gives me great hope. We’ve more than doubled our staff in the last five years. It’s the incredible talent of the new professionals wanting to enter the field and what they bring. I've been lucky enough to attract some great people to our team, and I'm looking for more. The new talent is coming in with a better grasp of a broader base of knowledge that goes far beyond traditional development finance or urban planning. They come in with a wide range of desires, goals, and training. I'm excited about what's next with that — and how they are committed to making a difference.
And then, technology. You can embrace technology or resist it — but it’s coming. From AI to the overall progress of technology, Port KC is leaning into it. I see the opportunity in the skillset new talent brings and how we are making data analytics faster and more efficient.
Why is it important for you to come to the Harvard Kennedy School and meet with students?
The Kennedy School is really the gold standard of the industry, not only the students and the faculty that are there, but also what they do and how they influence the rest of the industry through their work in the world, speaking at conferences, and research.
In part, coming to HKS is about making sure I get to spend time with the people who will really guide and shape the industry in the future. And then also having, hopefully, an influence on the students that are coming through the Kennedy School and showing them that what is taught in case studies and what is taught in the academic setting is incredibly valuable, but here are some of the inspiring pieces of economic development that you may not see on campus, but you will see you come out of the building and into the real world. That convergence is where the magic happens.
Editor’s Note: One great example of this real world experience is the Taubman Center’s Transition Term. This past January, a student team worked to support the newly-elected Mayor of Kansas City, Kansas – just across the state line from Jon and Port KC. Read about their experience.
