John founded Forward Progress in 2013 after serving as Director of Academic and Membership Affairs (AMA) at the NCAA national office, where he oversaw various academic and compliance-related programs. This included creation and oversight of the in-person academics hearing process, Academic Progress Rate (APR) and Graduation Success Rate (GSR) data and data reviews.
Over his time in AMA, John also served as liaison to the DI Committee on Academic Performance, providing leadership in NCAA academic policy decision-making. He also oversaw the Initial-Eligibility, Progress-toward-Degree and Two-Four Transfer Waiver processes, managing staff charged with analyzing and deciding nearly 1,000 cases per year.
Prior to his time in AMA, John served as an investigator within the NCAA enforcement department. In this capacity, he worked closely with institutional representatives and NCAA staff to develop and investigate information related to violations of NCAA legislation.
Before joining the NCAA, John was employed as an attorney at Bingham McCutchen LLP in Boston. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Sports Law at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI), and Metropolitan State University of Denver.
John is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, and received his M.S. in Sports Management from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College, where he graduated cum laude with a double major in History and Spanish, and was a four-year football student-athlete.
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