Faculty and Extended Faculty

John is currently the vice president and director of education of the Siebel Institute, and director of education for the World Brewing Academy (WBA). A graduate of the WBA International Diploma in Brewing Technology program himself, John began his brewing career as a 2nd shift (and partial 3rd) brewing supervisor at City Brewery in La Crosse, Wisconsin, putting his education to the test before launching a successful 7+ year consulting business.

As a consultant, John designed breweries and brew pubs, vetted and commissioned equipment, and directed and managed installations and construction. John has also acted as a "ghost brewmaster" for a variety of labels both here and abroad, where he created the recipes and, when possible, oversaw production and quality control of the beers.

He has also advised on a multitude of brewing-related issues for customers large and small, in both North and South America, Asia and Europe, and continues to do so as a contributor to Siebel's consulting team. His passion for consulting, teaching and beer led him to a position as a Siebel adjunct instructor before joining the staff full-time as director of education in 2012, interim president in 2017, then becoming the vice president/director of education in 2018.

Before succumbing to brewing, John was an art director/graphic designer. After graduating from the Art Institute of Philadelphia, he began his original career in the Washington, DC area, working for organizations as varied as the free weekly City Paper, 2 years with the Central Intelligence Agency, and five years with a defense contractor, all before returning to the Midwest and specifically Chicago, where he worked with such organizations as the Tribune Company and its affiliates (Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, LA Times, WGN-TV, Cubs, etc.), United Airlines, Abbott Diagnostics, McDonald’s, and United HealthCare.