He previously served on the faculty at the Oklahoma State University and coordinate the college student affairs program and higher education programs and at the University of South Carolina where he taught in and coordinated the Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) Program. He earned his doctorate at Bowling Green State University in Higher Education Administration. While at BGSU, John served in a variety of roles including Editorial Assistant for About Campus and Visiting Instructor for BGSU’s College Student Personnel Program. Before beginning his doctoral work in 1996, he was Director of Residence Life at Adrian College in Michigan and University Judicial Administrator at Washington University in St. Louis.