John is a well-known and trusted advisor in higher education advancement circles, providing counsel to both public and private institutions in the United States and internationally. He joined the firm in 2001 as a senior consultant, following eight years as Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations and Campaign Director at the University of California, Berkeley. John oversaw Berkeley’s “New Century Campaign,” a comprehensive, university-wide development program that ultimately raised more than $1.4 billion for the campus. He also served as Vice President of the University of California, Berkeley Foundation.
Before joining UC Berkeley, John was Associate Dean for Development in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University. He was the lead fundraiser for Stanford’s largest school during the nation’s first $1 billion+ campaign. Prior to that, he was Executive Director of Development and Campaign Director at Mills College in Oakland, California.
John has led the Marts & Lundy’s pioneering research into the evolution of public university development programs, and he has been active as a speaker for CASE and other professional organizations in the United States and internationally. He served as Chair of the Board of Directors of Marts & Lundy from 2012 to August 2017 and moved to Of Counsel in 2020.
In addition to his work with Marts & Lundy, John is a dedicated gardener and amateur farmer who produces many crops including his own olives and olive oil on his property in the Wine Country north of San Francisco. He is frequent traveler who often combines his international work on behalf of the firm with adventures across the globe. In keeping with his doctorate in early modern British History, John is an avid reader of history and biography and looks forward to a time when he can combine his academic experience with volunteer teaching.