Michael Mills

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I’m an economic and community development leader with more than a decade of experience advancing regional competitiveness through strategic planning, capital access, and place-based investment. I specialize in helping communities—particularly rural and historically underinvested and underserved regions—translate economic development strategy into actionable, fundable, and implementable outcomes, aligning public, private, and philanthropic resources to drive measurable results. 

Before joining TPMA, I served as an Economic Development Representative with the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), where I evaluated and advised on infrastructure, planning, and economic development projects across multiple states. I worked closely with regions to align Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) with federal priorities and position projects for funding under programs including PWEAA, Disaster Supplemental, CARES Act, and ARPA—developing a strong understanding of how federal agencies assess projects and how communities can successfully compete for and deploy those resources. I have also supported efforts to expand access to capital and advance economic opportunity in distressed communities, including serving as an Access to Capital specialist with the Appalachian Regional Commission, helping communities secure and deploy federal investment across the western US, Appalachia, the Southeast, and the Mississippi River Delta. 

I bring a dual perspective as both a federal reviewer and regional practitioner, with experience guiding multi-jurisdictional partnerships, developing actionable project pipelines, and supporting communities in moving from planning to implementation. My work is grounded in building practical strategies that are not only visionary, but fundable and executable.