John graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2011 with a B.S. in Political Science and History. He received his MA from the University of Kansas in December 2013 and plans to defend his dissertation by May 2017. John's research focuses on the U.S. Army's occupation of Bavaria. Whereas much of the existing historiography on the occupation has addressed it as a matter of policy, John is examining the occupation experience of the military government officers tasked with implementing that policy. He explores how American officials at the lowest levels of military government struggled with the persistent food crises and how best to implement policies like the reconstruction of the German economy and reorientation of the German population.
John is interested in a career outside traditional academia, including work in public policy and the applied humanities.
John was awarded the Kevin J. Carroll Prize at the 2013 Missouri Valley History Conference by SMH for his paper, "'The Headaches Continue to Pile Up': The American Occupation of 1945."
In addition to history, John enjoys watching, playing, and discussing sports.