Dr. Jerry Paytas is the director of research for the Economic Architecture Practice of GSP Consulting. Formerly, he was the director of the Center for Economic Development (CED) at Carnegie Mellon. Dr. Paytas serves on the board of Sustainable Pittsburgh and is a Past-President of the Economic Club of Pittsburgh. He received a B.A. in Sciences and International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University, a M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning a Ph.D. in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Paytas led the EDA’s study on Universities and the Development of Industry Clusters. In 1999, he developed the Innovation Assets index for the Development Report Card for the States, which continues to be used as a neutral arbiter of state performance. He also developed the new standard definition of technology industries for use with the new NAICS coding system for the State Science and Technology Institute.