Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Dallas attended the University of Kentucky, home of the eight time National Champion Kentucky Wildcats (this matters here). After studying political science and economics, he joined the Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation, a private nonprofit committed to the advancement of science, technology, and innovative economic development in the Commonwealth. Dallas led several special projects at KSTC, including developing strategic plans for entrepreneurial ecosystems in transitioning and underserved communities, building tech-based clusters in the defense and aerospace industries, and expanding youth innovation programs, all resulting in the creation of four public-private partnerships. He has also advised over fifty early-stage start-up companies, state government departments such as Economic Development and Workforce Development, and nonprofits focused on promoting high-growth economic opportunities in America’s most underdeveloped cities. Having grown up low-income in a city stuck between the declining Rust Belt and burgeoning Sun Belt, Dallas hopes to leverage his time at Princeton to seek opportunities with economic development planning firms committed to high-tech ecosystem development in declining cities. He interned this past summer with Heartland Forward, working on a range of high-profile and time-critical projects, including the NW Arkansas Economic Recovery plan following the COVID-19 pandemic. In his free time, Dallas enjoys a nice beer, a good fantasy novel, and lamenting the decades-long drought of his beloved Dallas Cowboys.