John Bennett is a scholar-practitioner. He is a business and behavioral science professor at the McColl School of Business, Queens University of Charlotte, where he holds the Wayland H. Cato, Jr. Chair of Leadership. He is the founder and president of Lawton Associates, a consulting and executive coaching firm focused on helping individuals, teams, and organizations prepare for, excel through, and improve from change. He is a frequent speaker and presenter at academic, professional, and client conferences and workshops. 

He has nearly 30 years of progressively challenging and successful experience creating, leading, and participating in change in various industries. John was CEO of American Red Cross biomedical services divisions, where he led pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution operations and developed and delivered essential human services. He was a senior practice leader for a global talent management firm and was the CEO of the Foundation of Coaching, a project of the Harnisch Family Foundation. 

As an executive coach and consultant, John has helped individuals, teams, and organizations in various industries prepare for and excel through change since 1997. He is the author or co-author of numerous articles about coaching, leadership, and building organizational resilience to change, as well as five books, including Coaching for Change (Routledge) and The Manager’s Guide to Coaching for Change (de Gruyter, 2024).

John earned an MPA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an MA and Ph.D. in human and organizational systems from Fielding Graduate University. He also earned the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential through the International Coach Federation (ICF) and the Board Certified Coach (BCC) credential through the Center for Credentialing & Education. 

John was president of the NCIOP and the Graduate School Alliance for Educating Coaches (GSAEC). In 2010, he was named a charter Fellow in The Lewin Center and a Founding Fellow of the Institute of Coaching affiliated with McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School. In 2021, he was named one of the top 20 coaches in Charlotte. In 2023, he was named a Noble Fellow at Queens University of Charlotte. John is a past president of the NCIOP and the Graduate School Alliance for Educating Coaches (GSAEC) and a former member of the board of Fielding Graduate University.