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Biography

Dr. John Bennett is a Professor of Business & Behavioral Science and the Director of the Graduate Programs at the McColl School of Business, Queens University of Charlotte. He holds the Wayland H. Cato, Jr. Chair of Leadership. He is the former director of graduate programs for the McColl School of Business and was the founding director of the first MS in executive coaching program in the US. John is president of Lawton Associates, a consulting and executive coaching firm focused on helping individuals, teams, and organizations prepare for, excel through, and improve from change.

He has more than 30 years of progressively challenging and successful experience creating, leading, and participating in change in various industries. John was CEO of the American Red Cross biomedical services divisions, where he led pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution operations and developed and delivered essential human services. John has also led mergers and turnarounds, new product development, marketing, and technology system designs and integrations. He served as Senior Vice President and Talent Solutions Director for Lee Hecht Harrison, and he was the CEO of the Foundation of Coaching, a project of the Harnisch Family Foundation.

John is the author or co-author of five books, including Coaching for Change (Routledge) and The Manager’s Guide to Coaching for Change (de Gruyter). He served as co-editor of three special issues of OD Review. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science.

John earned a BS from Mars Hill College, an MPA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and an MA and Ph.D. in human and organizational systems from Fielding Graduate University (2006). He also earned the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential through the International Coach Federation (ICF) and the Board Certified Coach (BCC) credential through the Center for Credentialing & Education. In 2010, he was named a charter Fellow in The Lewin Center and a Founding Fellow of the Institute of Coaching affiliated with McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School. In 2023, he was named a Nobel Fellow at Queens University of Charlotte. Joining the Fielding Graduate University Board of Trustees in 2019, he chairs the Academic Affairs Committee and serves on the Executive Committees. He chaired the 2021/22 task force on the Re-imagination & Re-invention of the University.