Bio

Ben Kraft studies approaches to local and regional economic development and how they may (or may not) be able to promote lasting and equitable improvements in the quality of life of individuals and communities. 

Ben's professional experience includes working for the Washtenaw County (Michigan) Treasurer's Office and Office of Community and Economic Development, where he managed auctions of tax foreclosed property and Community Development Block Grant-funded housing and infrastructure projects. Previously, he helped build and locate wetlands while working as a land surveyor in Northern Virginia.

After earning a B.A. in English from The College of New Jersey in 2002, Ben went on to receive a M.A. in the Humanities from the University of Chicago in 2004, and then a Master's in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan in 2007. Ben has promised everyone who knows and loves him that this PhD will be his last degree.