John is a 40+ year veteran of the electronic component industry, much of that time with Murata Electronics, one of the largest manufacturers of passive components in the world. An industrial engineer by training, John has managed everything from manufacturing plants in Mexico, to sales and marketing. Prior to retiring from Murata, he was President of SyChip, Murata’s wireless solutions business, and before that, EVP of Sales and Marketing.

Since the mid 90’s, John was actively involved in a number of different industry trade associations. He served 10 years on the EIA Board of Governors, 15 years on the board of ECA, six years on the EDS board, and five years on the NEDA board. Much of that time he spent in leadership roles.

In perhaps his crowning industry achievement, at least from the ECIA's viewpoint, John was a principal agent in the formation of the ECIA from the two associations, ECA and NEDA, and served as the new association’s first Chairperson. John’s extensive industry experience and relationships, years spent working on the boards of various industry associations, and intimate knowledge of the global electronic component market place made him the ideal candidate to assume the mantle of leadership for the ECIA as President and CEO. He has spent the past five years dedicated to strengthening the association’s position and membership base.

“John is a proven leader with a deep understanding of the issues affecting the industry at a strategic level and is pragmatic at working on resolution,” noted Dave Doherty, who presented the award at the ECIA Executive Conference. “He is a great consensus builder and is excellent at attracting talented people to work together for the greater good. His calming and objective style – some may call unflappable! – has enabled the association to translate Board of Director initiatives into key deliverables. We are pleased to recognize his achievements with the North Star Award.”

In receiving the Award, John commented, “Thank you to ECIA for the honor to be recognized by my peers. I am particularly grateful to say my career mission has always been a passionate pursuit of excellence, and following last year’s recipient, my good friend Michael Knight, I believe I am in rare company. This Award is intended to be the very embodiment of passion, pursuit of excellence and what this industry is all about — giving back. I am honored to accept it,” he concluded.