Regionalism and how it works for Elkhart, St. Joseph, and Marshal Counties and Surrounding Areas

Scott Ford is the associated vice president for economic development at the University of Notre Dame. Prior to joining the University in March 2018, Ford served in leadership roles as the executive vice president with Bradley Company, and from 2012 to 2016, as the executive director of community investment for the City of South Bend.  

In his time with Mayor Pete Buttigieg's Administration, Ford implemented a strategic restructuring of the City's approach to economic development that yielded nearly 2,600 new announced jobs and $440 million in new private investment to the City. Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government recognized his work as one of the "Bright Ideas in Government" in 2014. Ford was also responsible for the strategic design, direction and funding of several placemaking initiatives including the Smart Streets initiative that the US Department of Transportation recognized in 2016 with the Secretary's Awards for Overall Success in the USDOT Mayors' Challenge. 

Prior to his tenure with the City of South Bend, Ford developed extensive experience in urban policy working in the related fields of economic development, architecture and urban design. Ford earned his bachelor's degree in government with a concentration in philosophy, politics and economics and a master's degree in architecture from Notre Dame. He also holds a master's degree in planning, growth and regeneration from the University of Cambridge. 

Ford is an active member of the Congress for the New Urbanism and the Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute. He currently serves as a board member of the St. Joe Valley Metronet and enFocus. He previously served as a board member of several other organizations including the South Bend Urban Enterprise Association, Community Home Buyers Association, the Economic Development Commission and the Industrial Revolving Loan Fund.