PROFILE
Dubbed the “Official Statistician of the Creative Class”, Kevin combines a depth of knowledge with an appreciation of the importance of finding and sharing the knowledge or “pearls of wisdom” gained from his comprehensive understanding of the Creative Class and the Creative Economy.
He has held faculty positions at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and for over a decade worked with technology in the insurance industry as a manager of strategic projects. He holds a PhD in Business Administration and an MBA from the Tepper School of Management, Carnegie Mellon University and a BS in Honors in Applied Computer Science from Illinois State University. He has taught numerous courses in statistical analysis, Information Systems and in Regional Economic Development.
His research interests include the relationship between firm performance and information technology and the impacts of technology, tolerance, talent, and quality of place on regional growth and prosperity. Kevin provided quantitative research and analytical support for Richard Florida during the development of his books The Rise of the Creative Class, The Flight of the Creative Class and Who’s Your City?. He continues to actively collaborate with Richard and other researchers. This research includes primary development of measures, indicators, and benchmarking approaches with significant impact on the growth and development of the Creative Class theory. He developed all updated indicators and measures for the paperback version of Rise of the Creative Class, and continues to work on theoretical and measurement-based advances associated with the Creative Economy.
One of the few statistical analysts who has the complete works of Edward Tufte and Donald Norman on his shelves, Kevin presents informative, accessible and entertaining insights into the Creative Economy and the role of the Creative Class in increasing regional growth and prosperity.
Kevin Stolarick’s complete C.V. (PDF)
CURRENT PROJECTS
Creative Industries and the Creative Economy, Global Creativity, Jurisdictional Advantage, Music & the Entertainment Economy, Ontario in the Creative Age, Prosperity in the Creative Age
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Inside the Black Box of Regional Development – Human Capital
Florida, R., Stolarick, K., and Mellander, C. (2008). Inside the black box of regional development—human capital, the creative class and tolerance. Journal of Economic Geography.
Density and Creativity in US Regions
Knudsen, B., Florida, R., Stolarick, K., & Gates, G. (2008). Density and Creativity in U.S. Regions. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 98(2), 461-478.
Creativity, connections and Innovation: a study of linkages in the Montreal Region
Stolarick, K., & Florida, R. (2006). Creativity, connections and innovation: a study of linkages in the Montreal Region. Environment and Planning A, 38(10), 1799 – 1817.
IN THE MEDIA
Press
Ottawa Citizen: Big cities pump out university grads (June 03, 2008)
The Globe and Mail: When shiny offices conceal a wasteland (April 29, 2008)
Ottawa Citizen: Ottawa – Canada’s best kept secret (February 8, 2008)
University of Toronto Bulletin: U OF T’s Prosperity Institute Addresses Ontario’s Competitiveness (January 15, 2008)
Television
Canada AM: Release of 2006 Canadian census data
(January 22, 2008)
MEDIA EXPERTISE
Kevin welcomes media enquiries on the following subjects:
- Regional economic growth
- Contributions of talent, tolerance, and territory assets to regional prosperity
- Development of new measurement statistics, indicators and benchmarks