Today's Featured Biography

 
John Craig

In Spring 2023 I was invited to be an Author/Contributor for illuminen.com, Venice Italy, the leading source of sustainability information and the first and largest ESG business alliance. Over 700 global experts (from climate ministers to international CEOs) make illuminen the world’s largest expert network in sustainability.

In 2022 I was recruited to lead, manage, and coordinate design and construction for the international consortium of Acciona (Spain), Shikun & Binui (Israel), and the North American Construction Group (Canada) (a separate operating company named the Red River Valley Alliance or RRVA) delivering the nearly $3 billion landmark Fargo-Moorhead Metro Area Flood Mitigation project to carry Red River flood waters away from population centers. This world-class climate-mitigation infrastructure project consists of planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operations of a 30-mile river diversion channel, a diversion outlet, 2 aqueducts, 14 drainage outlets, 2 interstates, 12 county roads, 19 bridges, 3 railroad grade crossings, a diversion authority administration building, and associated appurtenances. The RRVA serves the client, the Metro Flood Diversion Authority ( MFDA). (https://fmdiversion.gov/about-the-project/) While I have watched this project evolve for over 30 years and was excited to be pursued, the job was a poor fit, so I resigned. It has been a struggle to find a job that is a good fit.

I was recruited by Lindsay Corporation in 2019 as the Director of Global Sales Operations-Infrastructure but did not find it satisfying and resigned after a few months. The Corporation, headquartered in Omaha, does business in over 90 countries to reduce vehicle crashes and congestion through selling and delivering advanced traffic management solutions. In 2015 I was recruited by Kirkham-Michael Consulting Engineers but that was not a good fit for me either so I resigned.

Earlier, I previously established a consulting company as the Principal of John L. Craig Consulting, LLC from 2015 to 2022 (www.leadershipintransportation.com). Essentially semi-retired, I still maintain the website and post blogs periodically on the built-natural environments, challenges and opportunities.

A Vice President, HDR Engineering, Inc, from 2009 to 2015 I led completion of a $2.2 billion program (a Joint Venture of HDR Engineering and Fluor Enterprises organized as a separate operating company) to repair or replace hundreds of Oregon bridges (see www.otiabridge.org). In this capacity I provided transportation consulting services across the Nation and internationally. I also served on two Governor's Cabinets and was the Director of the Nebraska Department of Transportation from 1999 to 2009.

I am currently on the Board of Directors of the Mid-America and Nebraska Transportation centers and was an invited member of the INDO-US Forum, a U. S. State Department sponsored exchange to facilitate transportation expertise between the United States and India.

I am a past member of the Board of Directors of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (WASHTO), Board of Directors of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America and Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board, U. S. National Academies.

I am a published author including a chapter in the book "Inside the Minds: The Changing Landscape of Transportation Infrastructure".

As a retired commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, I had troop and civil works assignments in the continental United States, Alaska, Korea, and Europe, leading troops and directing multimillion dollar programs and projects in Korea, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Alaska and the contiguous United States for the Department of Defense, Department of State, and the White House.

I earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Central Missouri State University and the Army selected me for fully funded graduate school where I obtained Master of Science degree in Engineering and Science Management from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.

As of 2023, I have been married to the former Kathleen Sue Shea of Warrensburg, Missouri, for 50 years and we have three children: a daughter, Heather who recently returned from California and is a counselor at Grinnell College in Iowa, and two sons, Brian who is a Public Defense Counsel for the State of Nebraska, and Michael who is seeking a career. Kathleen is the Director of Research and Development at Creighton University in Omaha.

After graduation from Willian Chrisman, I attended Central Missouri State College (CMSC) and received BS and MS degrees, working various jobs to get through school including as a city sanitarian for the cities of Independence and Warrensburg. Other interesting jobs included driving a mosquito fog truck and working at a waste water treatment plants. I quickly learned I didn't want to do those jobs forever. During college I also lived in Bosworth and Brunswick, Missouri. I was commissioned in the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers at graduation and never intended to stay but did until retirement. I also attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth Kansas. My two sons were born in the same military hospital in Fairbanks Alaska during two separate military assignments. My daughter was "born behind bars" at Ft. Leavenworth Kansas since the military hospital was being renovated and the military prison ward converted to a maternity ward. We enjoyed some great vacations around Europe (England, Scotland, Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Spain, etc.), Egypt, Mallorca and other places. I had the idea long ago that I wanted to expose my children (in addition to myself) to the bigger world and I am pleased I was able to accomplish that. My final military assignment was as the Deputy Commander and Division Engineer, Missouri River Division, Omaha, Nebraska where I retired from active military service in 1998. The military was an experience that I will always cherish, even the "bad times" had something to teach me (I may have learned the most from them). All of my children have continued the tradition of travel and made trips around the U. S., Europe and Tanzania. Among our many international friends we have been fortunate to host foreign exchange students, including from Germany and Brazil.

In recent years I have begun long distance running. My "big moment in the sun" was qualifying and then running the 2008 Boston Marathon. In addition to a host of other races (Hood to Coast---a 200 mile relay from Mount Hood to Seaside Oregon among them), I have run 10 marathons (and 23 half marathons with four first place, four second place and six third place finishes) in Vienna Austria, Lincoln Nebraska, Marathon Iowa, Kansas City Missouri, Minneapolis-St. Paul Minnesota, Portland Oregon, Seattle Washington, Green Bay Wisconsin and Chicago Illinois (only time I qualified for elite runner status), in addition to Boston Massachusetts. I qualified for the 2012 New York City Marathon but that was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy. I may think about the two remaining World Marathon series in London and Berlin (Boston, Chicago and NYC are the other three) after recovery from some hip surgery. I will always run as it brings joy to my life. I ran the 2010 Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis-Saint Paul Minnesota with my daughter, it was sheer joy to run with her!! I should have focused more on sports in high school (and college) but I think I was just too lazy (I could say the same for my academic career). My "shining moment" in college baseball was when I was scouted by the St. Louis Cardinals but I never amounted to much there either. I am a certified scuba diver and licensed pilot.

I have two younger sisters that have remained in Independence-Lees Summit areas and are WCHS graduates, Ruth (Deckard) and Marilyn (Gifford). Another sister (Louise, deceased) and three brothers (Bill, James and Eddie) are also graduates of WCHS. I am proud to say my three brothers also served in the military and two retired from active military service (James a graduate of West Point and a fellow U. S. Army Corps of Engineers officer and Eddie from the USAF). James died in 2017 from exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. Both my parents (now deceased) are graduates of WCHS. My mother was born and died in Independence and worked at Chrisman-Sawyer Bank for many years. My father was born in Norborne Missouri, preceded my mother in death in Independence, worked for D-X Oil Company for many years first as a salesman and later as the owner of the D-X Station across from Chrysler Stadium before entering the real estate business.

Well, it has been a long time since high school and although I did not recognize most faces and many names, the 40th Reunion brought back many fond memories. I think our WCHS faculty would be proud of the students they helped to influence. I remember our Valedictorian having a theme "I am only one but I am one. I cannot do everything but I can do something". I may not remember it correctly but it is one of those things that has stuck in my high school memories.

All the best to all of my classmates!

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