John Marron, AICP
Master of Urban Planning, 2009
Deputy Project Manager of the Red Line for IndyGo
From the beginning of graduate school, John has been interested in the way community investments, programs, and policies come together to promote community vitality and provide opportunities for community revitalization. With these interests, he’s always appreciated the important influence the transportation system has on land use, local economy, housing, and neighborhood/community vitality; likewise, he has always recognized that the reverse is true as well, that land use, local economy, and housing all impact the transportation system. Given these interests, it’s no surprise that John has spent his career moving between opportunities to work on either side of this divide.
John is currently the deputy project manager for the Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line at IndyGo. The Red Line will be Indianapolis’ first rapid transit corridor and the first all-battery electric rapid transit system in the nation. In addition to being engaged in various facets of engineering and construction of the Red Line, John is leading efforts to support small businesses in the corridor during construction, coordinating stakeholder engagement with neighborhood and institutional stakeholders proximate to the corridor, leading a fare study for all of IndyGo, and determining a process for assessing sponsorship and branding opportunities, among other duties.
Prior to joining the Red Line team, John was a senior policy analyst at the IU Public Policy Institute, specializing in housing, community development, community revitalization, and aging-in-place. In this role, he supported efforts from community organizations and institutions, housing officials, regional economic development officials, and state leaders in developing and supporting programs to grow Indiana’s economy and improve quality of life for all Hoosiers. John participated in planning and evaluation efforts, providing analysis and reviews that shaped local decision making and policy decisions. As a result of this work, John has been invited to participate in several national and international conversations around community development and aging in place, including being invited to the White House in September 2016 as part of the evaluation team for the IndyEast Promise Zone.
John will be the first to say that the skills learned in his graduate school program positioned him for a successful career. Providing a solid knowledge base as well as a broad array of skills that are applicable across many disciplines. In any given day, John may move from making a presentation, to conducting research, to interacting with political leadership, conducting an analysis, and managing internal meetings – all of which draw upon skills that were developed during his time at Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning.
In addition to his professional work, John has served on the Ball State Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning’s Alumni Board since 2009, serving as chair in 2012-13.
