Episode notes
In this episode of Fort Worth Innovates, Cameron Cushman sits down with John Goff, Chairman of the Fort Worth-Tarrant County Innovation Partnership, to discuss the bold vision behind Texas A&M University Fort Worth and the city’s emerging innovation district. What began as a pandemic-era initiative led by former Mayor Betsy Price to evaluate Fort Worth’s economic future revealed a major gap: the largest U.S. city without a Tier One research university. That insight sparked a transformational partnership to expand Texas A&M’s presence downtown—moving beyond the law school to create a world-class research campus designed to fuel industry collaboration, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and long-term economic growth.
Goff shares how the Innovation District aims to connect corporate leaders with research talent across aerospace, healthcare, agriculture, technology, and beyond—while catalyzing mixed-use development, housing, retail, and investment in Southeast Downtown. With decades of experience in real estate and capital markets, he explains why universities—not corporations—become the defining institutions of cities, and how Texas A&M Fort Worth could shape the region for generations to come.
Learn more about Texas A&M Fort Worth here: https://fort-worth.tamus.edu/
Learn more about the Fort Worth-Tarrant County Innovation Partnership here: https://fwtc-innovate.com/