JAMES W. HARRINGTON, JR. is Professor in Urban Studies at the University of Washington Tacoma.  From 2011-2104 he served as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (chief academic officer) at UW Tacoma. 

Before joining the UW Tacoma faculty, he was Professor of Geography at the University of Washington since 1997, where he served as department chair from 2000-05.  During 2006-09 he served as the Faculty Legislative Representative from the University to state legislative and executive deliberations on higher education policy and budgets. In 2009-11 he served as Vice Chair and Chair of the University’s Faculty Senate, which has key advisory roles on curriculum, degree requirements, faculty affairs and review, and budget planning.  As Chair, he was an ex officio member of the University’s Board of Regents and a member of the Advisory Search Committee for the University’s President.

Earlier, he served as Director of the National Science Foundation’s Geography and Regional Science Program (1994-97);  on the faculty of Public Policy at George Mason University (1991-97);  and on the faculty of Geography at SUNY-Buffalo. (1983-91).  He holds Ph.D. and M.A. degrees from the University of Washington, and an A.B. degree from Harvard University.

Research and Teaching Interests:  Economic geography – specifically subnational, regional economic development, occupational attainment, and international trade;  regional focus on the US, Canada, and China.

Publications:  Thirty articles and chapters; co-author of Industrial Location: Principles, Practices, and Policy (Routledge); Rediscovering Geography: New Relevance for the New Century (National Academy Press);  co-editor of Geography and Technology (Kluwer), Knowledge-Based Services,Internationalisation and Regional Development (Ashgate), New Economic Spaces: New Economic Geographies (Ashgate),  Services & Development in the Asia Pacific (Ashgate).

Professional Service has included:  Executive Director of the North American Regional Science Council (1993-2000);  Secretary of the Association of American Geographers (1995-97);  US representative to the International Geographical Union’s Commission on the Dynamics of Economic Spaces (2004-08);  co-organizer of the Geography Faculty Development Alliance workshops for junior faculty (2005-15).