John joined Dawson & Associates in 2026 after successful careers in the US Army Corps of Engineers and two prominent global engineering firms.

A West Point graduate and Professional Engineer, John spent 30 years in the US Army, primarily the Army Corps of Engineers.  His leadership and knowledge of federal and USACE policy resulted in his promotion to Colonel and selection as District Engineer and Commander three times:

• Buffalo District

• Japan District

• Huntsville Center

In these roles, he supervised numerous high-visibility regulatory permits including High Acres (NY) Landfill Western Expansion, the Empire (NY) Natural Gas Connector Project. and several windfarms.

John was Deputy Commander of the USACE Transatlantic Division and spent two years in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), first as the Military Assistant and later as the Executive Officer.

In this latter position he was involved in numerous strategic Civil Works initiatives.  During his tenure, the Civil Works program received and executed and additional $4.6 billion as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in 2009.

John was extensively involved in the Army’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), a major regional ecosystem restoration. Additionally, during this period, the Civil Works office worked collaboratively with EPA and USCAE to develop WOTUS and Clean Water regulations.

After leaving the Army, John spent nearly seven years with prominent global engineering firms Bechtel and Michael Baker International.  At Bechtel, John was dual-hatted as the Deputy Manager of Engineering and Chief Engineer - Systems Engineering for Bechtel’s Nuclear, Security, and Environmental Business Unit. As a senior vice president at Michael Baker, John oversaw the firm’s U.S. Army portfolio and led his team to 100+% growth in three years.