John is Northwest Iowa born and raised, and his track record as a conservative leader in the Iowa House reflects his roots. After growing up in Sibley and graduating from Sibley Community High School, he traveled a bit outside of House District One to attend Northwestern College. While there, he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology. He continued his education at American Military University and earned two master’s degrees in Political Science with an emphasis in National Defense and Environmental Policy and Management.
John and his wife Cami have been married since 2010. Cami is an accountant for a home remodeling business in Spirit Lake. They have three kids, Seth, Wesley, who live in Omaha, and Mariah who lives in Spencer. In addition to their human kids, they have two dogs, Ashland and Liberty, who enjoy hunting with John.
John retired from the military as a First Sergeant after 25 years of service. He spent several tours of duty deployed in Iraq, Egypt, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar, and Germany as an infantryman and calvary scout.
John’s life has been dedicated to service, and now he is working on behalf of Iowans. He has been representing District One in the “People’s House” since 2015 and is currently the candidate for House District Ten. In 2020 and 2022, John was elected to serve as the Speaker Pro Tempore of the Iowa House. He also served as a House Assistant Leader from 2015-2018 and as the Majority Whip in 2019. Outside of his leadership roles, he also sits on Administration and Rules, Commerce, Education Reform, Labor and Workforce, State Government, and Ways and Means.
To network with leaders from other states and learn from professionals in the field, John served on the Council of State Governments (CSG) National Executive Committee and is currently involved with the Boway Institute of Legislative Learning (BILLD). He is also on the Legislative Leaders Foundation as a member of the Board of Directors and is the state chair for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
When not in Des Moines, John can be found working and enjoying the amazing Iowa Great Lakes region. He works with the Iowa Great Lakes Watershed Project and Clean Water Alliance where he helps landowners voluntarily improve their properties and land to conserve the state’s natural resources. His role includes communicating, coordinating, funding and educating people about water quality projects.
Some of John’s hobbies are hunting, fishing, hiking, landscaping, and boating. He is a member of Pheasants Forever in Osceola County and the State Pheasants Forever Council. He is also involved in the district with the Friends of Lakeside Lab, the Veterans of Foreign War, and is a past President of the Okoboji Protective Association.