Who's John?

I'm the second of four children, raised on a small farm in Mt. Vernon, Washington, although Dad's trucking business outgrew the farm by the time I started grade school. Dad's background was fourth generation German on his father's side, and goes back to the Pilgrims on his mother's side. Mom's background is a bit more colorful with a horse thief/cattle rustler and a convicted murderer (that's two people, not one!) on her father's side and small Virginia plantation owners on her mother's side.

I've been gainfully employed since I was in grade school, almost always in positions of responsibility. My first job was raising young stock for my cousin's dairy farm which I did while I was in junior high and high school. In addition, I worked in my father's trucking business during the summers, serving as a crew lead by the time I was 17. After BJ and I married, I worked with Dad for a year as assistant manager before going to work in aviation fulltime. I earned my pilot's license as well as my airframe and powerplant certificates while glider towing and rebuilding classic aircraft and light helicopters before joining Mission Aviation Fellowship in 1975.

While with MAF, I was responsible for fixed wing and rotary wing maintenance; support logistics involving 1 year lead times; inventory and maintenance records; and training Indonesian aircraft maintenance technicians. During the 15 years we spent with MAF in Indonesia, I was able to implement computer based inventory, maintenance records, and accounting systems; and write a first generation flight billing system. The highlight of our time in Indonesia was related to the development of the Maintenance Training Center which included the design and construction of two homes and a maintenance training facility; development of polyglot training curriculum and materials; and serving as a base manager responsible for 11 staff members from 4 different cultures.

In 1990 I joined the staff of Chandler-Gilbert Community College as an aviation faculty where I was deeply involved in curriculum development, training materials development, and implementation of instructional technology including early computer projection systems. For two years, I served as the Instructional Design Facilitator for the college while serving as Faculty Association President-elect and President. During this time, I also served on a team assigned to review the district curriculum approval process, and on the Steering Team for a major restructuring of district-wide business processes.

Starting in 1995, I was involved full-time in leadership roles related to the college district's major administrative systems as Director of Strategic Information Technologies. At times I was responsible for the major administrative applications and associated hardware as well as strategic planning and vendor relations related to these areas. At other times I was responsible for integration of the Telecommunications and Network teams as well as the melding of the Computer Operations and Server support teams.

In late 2003, I returned to Chandler-Gilbert Community College as the Provost for the Williams Campus. In this role I have responsibility for representation of the college in relationships with the neighboring University, the Airport Authority, other Williams property owners, and the US Government. In addition, I coordinate the development of class schedules, encourage partnerships and sharing with other entities, and represent the Williams Campus community in College leadership roles. Long term planning for the campus and developing specifications for new instructional facilities demands significant attention.

BJ and I have two children. Jeff is a graduate of Chandler-Gilbert and Arizona State University and now flies for Alaska Airlines. He and his wife are parents of the world's most wonderful little boy! Kelli is a graduate of Chandler-Gilbert and is considering returning to school after a number of years as a production planner and purchaser for a custom robotic manufacturing system developer.