John M. Eger, Director of the Creative Economy Initiative at San Diego State University (SDSU) is the Van Deerlin Endowed Chair of Communications and Public Policy, and teaches in the School of Journalism and Media Studies, and the SDSU Honors Program.

A former Adviser to two Presidents and Director of the White House Office of Telecommunications Policy he helped spearhead the restructuring of America's telecom Industry and was Senior Vice President of CBS responsible for worldwide enterprises, which opened China to commercial television.

He is an author and lecturer on the subjects of creativity and innovation, education and economic development, and formerly served as President of Smart Communities, a research and educational organization dedicated to helping local communities connect to the global economy.

More recently he served as Chair of California Governor’s first Commission on Information Technology; Chair of the Governors Committee on Education and Technology; and Chair of San Diego Mayor’s “City of the Future” Commission.

He is the author of over 100 articles, books and book chapters. More recently he authored the seminal “Guidebook for Smart Communities”, a “how to” for communities struggling to compete in the age of the Internet; “The Creative Community: Linking Art, Culture, Commerce and Community”, a call to action to reinvent our communities for the Creative Age; and "Art Education and the Innovation Economy" http://www.amazon.com/Arts-Education-Innovation-Economy-Ensuring/dp/1456398547/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298233927&sr=1-1

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