John Bennett

John Bennett, Ph.D., PCC, BCC

John Bennett is president of Lawton Associates, a consulting and executive coaching firm focused on helping individual, teams and organizations prepare for, excel through, and improve from change. He is a Professor of Business & Behavioral Science at the McColl School of Business, Queens University of Charlotte. He holds the Wayland H. Cato, Jr. Chair of Leadership. In addition to teaching, he is an executive coach and a frequent speaker and presenter at academic, professional, and client conferences and workshops.

He has nearly 35 years of progressively challenging and successful experience creating, leading and being a part of change in various industries. John was CEO of an American Red Cross biomedical services divisions, where he led pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution operations and the development and delivery of essential human services. John has also led mergers and turnarounds, new product development, marketing and technology system designs and integrations. He served as Senior Vice President and Talent Solutions Director for Lee Hecht Harrison, and was the CEO of the Foundation of Coaching, a project of the Harnisch Family Foundation. He was the principal investigator for a five-year program evaluation and research project: “Ordination Preparation Program Evaluation and Congregational Leader Development Study”, is funded by The Duke Endowment.

As an executive coach and consultant, John has helped individuals, teams, and organizations in a variety of industries prepare for and excel through change since 1997. John is author of numerous articles about building organizational resilience to change, coaching, and leadership as well as four books including Coaching for Change (Routledge). He is currently writing book about managerial coaching that will be published by De Gruyter in 2024.

His recent consulting and coaching clients include for-profit and not-for-profit organizations and government agencies in: biomedical services, construction, education, defense, financial services, higher education, human services, insurance, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, professional services and retail. Professional services focused on individuals, teams and organizations include: executive coaching, group/team facilitation and development for optimal performance, inclusion and diversity, leadership development, organizational change, and strategic planning. In 2021, he was named one of the top 20 coaches in Charlotte.

John earned a BS degree from Mars Hill College, MPA degree 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 Board Certified Coach (BCC) credential through the Center for Credentialing & Education. He is actively involved in several professional organizations including the Academy of Management, American Psychological Association (APA), ICF, and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP).

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 2023, he was named a Noble Fellow, Queens University of Charlotte. John serves on the Board of Trustees for Fielding Graduate University and on the Board of Directors for Rowan Education Partners.