Justin Godard
Vice President; Education, Leadership, and Engagement
Justin Godard is the Vice President of Education, Leadership, and Engagement (ELE) at the Center for Community Progress. In this role, he leads strategies to produce publications, trainings, learning exchanges, and conferences that build awareness of tools to address vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties and foster community revitalization.
Godard has substantial expertise supporting communities through one-of-a-kind educational experiences. Through his leadership, the ELE team helps practitioners connect the dots between the complex systems that perpetuate vacancy and fosters opportunities for local leaders to come together to solve shared challenges and best practices.
With a decade of experience at Community Progress, Godard supervises the nation’s largest conference on solutions to vacancy and abandonment; drives strategy for resident-focused programs and educational resources; and ensures Community Progress’ resources are accessible to all through virtual as well as in-person learning opportunities.
Godard holds both a Master of Urban and Regional Planning and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Virginia Tech. A long-time resident of the nation’s capital, he is now based in Chicago, Illinois.