Name:  Kevin Ford

Title: Shared Prosperity Coordinator

Department:  Community Planning & Economic Development

How long have you lived in Kalamazoo?

Over three decades. Proud Eastside native!

What is your favorite thing about Kalamazoo?

It’s a superb quality of life for the cost of living. I also love the local cafés…I’m a coffee fiend.

What neighborhood do you live in?

I live currently in Oshtemo Township but I was raised on the Eastside of Kalamazoo Bridge St. & Riverview.

What is your educational background/work experience?

I have a B.A. in Political Science from WMU, currently finishing a Master’s at WMU in Public Administration with a concentration in Local Government. The bulk of my adult work experience was at Covance Research Products, a drug development company.

What projects are you working on that are related to Imagine Kalamazoo?

Most pressing right now is developing and finalizing the Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo (SPK) plan. Other than that, all things dedicated to creating abundant opportunities in our neighborhoods around strong families, good jobs, and healthy growth, development, and learning of children!

List a few of your hobbies.

• CHESS (yes...all caps because I’m that excited about it)

• Watching stand-up comedy

• Reading

What is your spirit animal and why?

I don’t know much about animals so it’s difficult to say. I would probably be a mixture of types of animals…adaptability of a chameleon and the oddness of a platypus.