John is a dedicated educator, leader and changemaker who evolves his practice by exploring various professions in the community to see how he can bring those back to his students. John is an advocate for school change and transformation, and he believes that schools need to change the way they educate young people.
Prior to joining the team at Latitude, John worked at High Tech High Chula Vista from 2009-2017 where he helped develop the four week immersive internship program, senior individual inquiry projects, the school’s drama program, and student support for struggling students. During his final two years there, John was the co-founder of the ReVision Project, a consultation design firm incubated at HTHCV. The ReVision Project utilizes the power of high school seniors to advocate for change in the community through the use of design thinking. The ReVision Project re-designed a food pantry, designed and built a community cafe, planned a Bio-Swale and Trash Boom, and conceptualized a prototype for a new university in Chula Vista. In 2016, the ReVision Project was commissioned by the city of Chula Vista Cultural Arts Commission to prototype a cultural arts lab for the city.
From 2013-15, John was the Professional Development Lead of Learning through REAL Projects with the Innovation Unit UK, a not for profit social enterprise that works to solve social problems through innovation. John focused on the growth of teachers at over 30 schools in their development and understanding of project based learning. He was also a resident educator at School 21 in the UK where he helped develop their model for PBL. While at IU, John led work across the education portfolio including the design of Rising Academies, a PBL school in Sierra Leone.
John is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire where he majored in History, with a focus in Modern American History. He also has a M.Ed. in Secondary Teaching from the University of New Hampshire and a M.Ed. from the High Tech High Graduate School of Education in School Leadership.