About Venn Collaborative

Venn Collaborative provides strategic advisory services and convenes peer learning roundtables to support leaders advancing community, economic, and workforce impact—at the intersections of talent, innovation, and place. Led by Jim Woodell, Ph.D. and Arthur Smith, Venn is connected to a trusted network of consultants and experts in regional development, economic and community development, and innovation and entrepreneurship.

Jim Woodell, Ph.D.

Founder, Principal, and CEO

Jim Woodell helps higher education institutions demonstrate their value to economic and societal growth within their communities and regions. Jim’s 30+ year career has spanned multiple areas. As vice president for economic development and community engagement at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), he led national initiatives to foster university-based economic development and improve outreach and engagement. His higher ed experience also encompasses leadership roles in digital education, e-learning, and media production. A sought-after speaker and writer, Jim holds a Ph.D. in higher education policy from Penn State, as well as degrees from Harvard University and Syracuse University.

Arthur Smith

Consultant and Chief Content Officer

Arthur R. Smith is a seasoned writer and producer, with decades of experience developing digital content for educational audiences and non-profit organizations. His background includes 15 years leading digital projects for GBH Boston where he produced award-winning projects spanning K-12, adult education, and professional development. He also was senior health digital producer for AARP.ORG. For Venn Collaborative, Arthur serves in both technical and editorial roles, producing online professional development offerings, writing grants, and participating in consulting projects.

Talent, Innovation, and Place

Why "Venn"? When Jim worked at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), he worked with members to develop a framework for the role of universities in creating community and economic impact. The framework revolves around the Venn diagram of talent, innovation, and place to emphasize the idea the a higher scale of impact can be achieved by working at the intersections of talent and workforce development, innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems, and social, cultural, and community outcomes. These ideas also drive our work at Venn Collaborative.

Learn More About Talent, Innovation, and Place