TOP 100 MAGAZINE

Dr. Johndavid Kerr, JD
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Dr. Johndavid Kerr, JD, is a prominent leader in law, management, and academia, with over a decade of experience in public higher education and an impressive 20-year career in corporate law, consulting, and university development. Currently, he is the founder, president, and CEO of Fluence Global, a dynamic start-up company based in Saint Louis, Missouri.

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At a public higher education institution in St. Louis, Dr. Kerr is a full professor of business administration and the former department chair of ISCT, healthcare management, and legal studies. He served on a 33-member state board that advised the Coordinating Board of Higher Education in adopting its coordinated state plan: Preparing Missourians to Succeed: A Blueprint for Higher Education. His academic contributions have spanned two decades, during which he has taught business law and management courses, earning recognition and awards, including the Governor's Excellence in Teaching Award and the Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award.

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As the president and CEO of Fluence Global, Dr. Kerr is at the helm of a company committed to transforming lives and communities through innovative services, networks, and technology. Under his leadership, as joined by co-founder and COO, Connie Risby, Fluence Global oversees five business lines; Fluence Connect, Fluence Global-Infrastructure, Fluence Capital, Fluence Works, and Fluence Discovery, each in the start-up phase, with a mission to revolutionize regional and global economies and markets. Dr. Kerr’s strategic vision has led to the establishment of critical C-level relationships and strategic partnerships, which include over 200 industry partners engaged in large-scale projects across the United States and beyond. For this reason, his expertise is sought after worldwide.

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One of Dr. Kerr’s most ambitious initiatives is the "Building Silicon Prairie" project, also known as HEARTS. This visionary endeavor involves a 31-state regional collaboration with a combined GDP of $15.9 trillion. HEARTS, which stands for Healthcare; Energy and Education; Agriculture and Food; Real Estate; Transportation and Infrastructure; and Smart States and Smart Regions, aims to position the Midwest as a hub for next-generation technology solutions. The initiative is already making strides with state pilots in Missouri, Illinois, Florida, Texas, Virginia, and California, focusing on smart cities and mass transit rail projects.

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Dr. Kerr's professional journey is marked by significant achievements, including leading Fluence Global’s executive team in presenting to 22 cabinet-level federal agencies as part of a White House presentation to the Obama Administration. His earlier career saw him excel as a litigation associate at major law firms, where he handled complex cases involving CERCLA, ERISA, mergers and acquisitions, antitrust, and international law.

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With a BA in English from Central Methodist University and a Juris Doctorate from Texas A&M University School of Law, Dr. Kerr has also earned numerous certifications, including Quality Matters and online teaching certifications. His scholarly work includes publications such as Cloud Computing: Legal and Privacy Issues in the Journal of Legal Issues and Cases in Business.

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Dr. Kerr’s visionary approach has led Fluence Global to pioneer initiatives that are not only innovative, but also transformative on a large scale. His ability to think beyond conventional boundaries has resulted in projects that capture the attention of major industry players, government entities, and even space and aeronautical agencies. In the following Q&A, Dr. Kerr shares insights into what makes Fluence Global unique and offers a glimpse into some of the groundbreaking pilot projects currently underway.

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Dr. Kerr, what inspired you to start Fluence Global?

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While serving on various boards, I noticed that many regional projects, especially those focused on workforce development for veterans, nonviolent ex-offenders, and persons with disabilities, were not reaching full potential. To address this, we launched the Regional Systems Integration Initiative for the Saint Louis region, involving 200-plus stakeholder meetings over two years. As we delved deeper, I began to attract retired Fortune 500 executives to our team and realized that the business technology solutions they had developed weren’t being fully leveraged—not even by the private sector. This revealed the immense untapped potential, not just in Missouri, but across various states.

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Soon, we started receiving inquiries from both coasts about creating a national program. That’s when it became clear that we needed to think bigger, looking at meta markets across multiple states to identify efficiencies and top producers. This led to the birth of Fluence Global. One of my mentors, an extraordinarily successful, global business leader, pointed out that we had essentially built a multi-billion-dollar company from the ground up, something I hadn’t fully realized until he brought it to my attention. He was discussing our work with some of the world’s most respected business and technology leaders, and they started reaching out to us.  This is how you build and accelerate the Prairie. 

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When you attract that level of interest, it’s a strong indicator that you’ve created something vital and unprecedented. I’ve always expected skepticism, but instead, people have embraced our vision—especially innovations like Project X and alternatives to the traditional grid. The demand for these solutions extends not just across states, but globally.

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What makes Fluence Global unique?

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Unlike typical startups that focus on developing a product or service and securing venture capital or private equity funding, we took a different approach from the start. With our HEARTS initiative, we’ve always thought big and avoided the conventional startup path. This mindset, coupled with our ambitious Building Silicon Prairie initiative, has drawn interest from commercial companies, the military across multiple states, and major industry partners, including a multi-billion-dollar global systems integrator based in the Midwest. The feedback we consistently receive is, "Nobody else is doing this." While that’s incredibly encouraging, it also comes with a sense of responsibility. The pressure is real, but the excitement and positive responses from everyone involved keep us motivated.

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Can you share some details about a few of your Prairie pilot projects?

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One of our key projects is called Project X, a cutting-edge mass transit system to be implemented in several states, with Florida as a lead-in state. Unlike high-speed rail, Project X is faster, more efficient, and more cost-effective, capable of reaching speeds of 200 mph. We’ve garnered significant interest from mayors across Florida, with future plans to expand there. We’re targeting a late-summer 2025 launch for this project.

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Another major initiative is in Texas, where we’re looking at integrating Project X into the $33 billion corridor between Houston and Dallas. We believe this could significantly reduce costs and enhance connectivity in the region.

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Our second large-scale project is a highly secure facility in the Midwest, which has attracted considerable interest from both the military and private industry. This facility is designed to protect our nation’s data centers, critical information, and national security assets. We’re collaborating with over 200 companies, ranging from startups to established firms, to work on next-gen technology in secure environments, including SCIFs. The military is particularly interested because the facility will be shielded against EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) strikes, offering unprecedented protection. We’ve also engaged with the FCC Advisory Group and the U.S. Department of Commerce, and this facility will play a crucial role in hardening our infrastructure against grid failures. We anticipate breaking ground in the spring of 2025.

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Dr. Johndavid Kerr, JD
Founder, President, and CEO
Fluence Global
Website: https://www.fluenceglobal.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndavid-kerr-a8221314/