Economic development expertise lands center's director a role as Brookings Institution fellow

Lyneir Richardson, an assistant professor of professional practice who leads Rutgers Business School’s Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, will spend a year as a nonresident senior fellow with Brookings Institution.

The appointment allows Richardson to lend his practical expertise to the research and impact of the Brookings Metro program.

“I’m really excited to dive into the work. They’re giving me an opportunity to bring action to research,” Richardson said. "We have great data from entrepreneurs, from real estate transactions, from philanthropy and from angel investors who have supported our work, which will be a treasure trove for researchers.”

His contributions to Brookings Metro may include written work as well as appearances at Brookings-sponsored events. 

In his role as executive director at the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development or CUEED, Richardson has developed and helped to sustain award-winning programs to support Black and Latino entrepreneurs and small business owners.

The Black and Latino Tech Initiative is one example. The program assists diverse tech entrepreneurs get into accelerator programs where they have opportunities to attract additional capital for their businesses.

Under Richardson’s leadership, CUEED started The Black and Latino Investment Fund of New Jersey to help fill the void of critical early-stage funding available to advance the ventures of Black and Latino founders. The investment fund plays a critical role in strengthening the efforts of the Black and Latino Tech Initiative.

CUEED’s programs have helped to support more than 600 diverse small business owners, strengthen urban communities and create greater inclusion in the innovation sector.

"We are thrilled that Lyneir is joining Brookings Metro as a Nonresident Senior Fellow. He brings wide-ranging experience supporting diverse communities in advancing inclusive economic growth,” said Alan Berube, interim vice president and director of Brookings Metro. “Lyneir’s background in higher education, social capital investment, and real estate, and his service as a strategic advisor to then-Mayor Cory Booker, will crucially advance Brookings Metro’s vision for every community in our nation to be prosperous, just, and resilient, no matter its starting point.”

Richardson's bio on the Brookings Institution website.

Working with Brookings researchers and writers, Richardson hopes to share his knowledge and experiences with other organizations interested in doing inclusive economic development.

"The institution’s approach to engaged scholarship and social impact is something that (Rutgers University-Newark) Chancellor Nancy Cantor and (Rutgers Business School) Dean Lei Lei have been champions of, so this is an extension of the work we do at Rutgers and an extension of the practitioner-oriented economic development work we do at CUEED,” Richardson said.

The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization that conducts in depth research with the goal of generating new ideas for solving social problems at the local, national and global level. Brookings is recognized as one of the world’s most premier think tanks.

Richardson’s appointment will continue through August 2023.

- Susan Todd