Indvdl BOD Bio

John grew up on a southwest Iowa farm, attended Iowa State University, and obtained a BS in civil engineering (1971), and a MS in geotechnical engineering (1974) degrees. He earned a Ph.D. in civil/geotechnical engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2015. John served as a US Army Engineer officer beginning in 1973. Active-duty assignments included USAEUR in West Germany, 130th Engineer Brigade and US CENTOM in the Middle East. He joined the US Army Reserve and served with the 416th ENCOM and JTF-6 in El Paso, TX before his mandatory retirement as a LTC in August 2001.

"My grandfathers and father were Army veterans during WWI and WW2, respectively. While none of them talked much about their wartime experiences, I grew up greatly respecting those who served. I was disgusted and honestly quite angry with the way I and my fellow ROTC cadets were treated at university before entering active duty, and the public's general disdain for Vietnam veterans while I was on active duty was sickening. I joined the Board to help amend this disservice to my fellow veterans in hopes that the harm done to them might eventually be healed and that they can stand with pride knowing that Nebraskans hold them in high esteem for the honorable service they rendered in those ugly times."

Board Member/Staff Biography