Foster Appointed Director of Research At UB Institute For Local Governance And Regional Growth

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Kathryn A. Foster, assistant professor of planning at the University at Buffalo, has been appointed the first director of research for the Institute for Local Governance and Regional Growth, a major UB public-service program and a unit of the Office of Public Service and Urban Affairs.

As director of research, Foster will coordinate and oversee institute research initiatives and affiliations, both within the UB community and in connection with similar agencies and organizations at the local, state, national and international levels. The position complements her continued teaching, research and service in the UB Department of Planning.

"Professor Foster has been key to the success of institute programs for several years now and has been fundamental to the development of the institute since last fall," said John B. Sheffer, II, institute director. "Her outstanding scholarship has garnered national and international recognition for the university's regional research and service.

"This appointment is both a recognition of her many contributions to date and a powerful opportunity to strengthen the institute's research endeavors and presence in a growing national and international community of scholars working on regional issues."

Foster, a UB faculty member since 1993 and a faculty affiliate of the institute since October 1997, was a founding member of the UB Governance Project, now an institute program. She directed preparation of the Governance Project's award-winning report, "Governance in Erie County: A Foundation for Understanding and Action." She was also project director and author of "Municipal Cooperative Agreements in Western New York," a Fall 1997 institute project.

"Over the past year, the institute has been working on key regional analyses," said Foster. "I look forward to becoming even more active in these efforts.

"Interest in regional issues, both in Western New York and nationwide, is as high today as it has been in decades," Foster added. "The institute's research initiatives can have a lasting impact on the public discussion and on the way we live and do business in this region."

Foster's research focuses on governance, regional planning and policy, and intergovernmental and intersectoral relations. She holds a bachelor's degree in geography from The Johns Hopkins University, a master's degree in city planning from the University of California at Berkeley and a doctorate in public and international affairs from Princeton University.

Prior to pursuing an academic career, she worked as a professional planner at the local and federal levels. Under the auspices of the Peace Corps, she also worked for two years as a planner in southern Africa.

A junior fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, Foster is the author of numerous articles on governance and a book, "The Political Economy of Special-Purpose Government" (Georgetown University Press, 1997). She speaks widely on regional issues and is a member of the Erie County Development Coordination Board.

She resides in North Buffalo.