John grew up in Russell County, Kansas, and graduated from Luray High School. He went on to Kansas State University, where he earned a degree in civil engineering. He is a licensed professional engineer in Kansas and his professional career began with a consulting engineering and architectural firm in Salina before bringing him to Wichita in 1980. In January 1999, he joined the Wichita Airport Authority as Airport Engineering and Planning Manager. Over the next nearly 27 years, he had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of interesting and challenging projects before retiring in the fall of 2025.

John has been a member of the West Wichita Rotary Club since June 2000 and has enjoyed the friendships and opportunities to serve that Rotary provides. He served as Club Committee Chair from 2018 to 2020 and currently chairs the Foundation Committee. He also serves on the Rotary District 5680 Grants Review Committee.

Giving back to the community has always been important to John. In addition to Rotary, he serves on the City of Wichita Transit Advisory Board and the District 5 Advisory Board. He also volunteers as the archivist for First United Methodist Church, combining his interest in history with the enjoyment of preserving the stories and memories of the church's past.

Away from his volunteer activities, John enjoys genealogy, baseball, excursion trains and spending time with family. He and his wife, Judy, have two children, Nathan and Jordan, and three grandchildren who add a special joy to their lives.