Return Home- View John's Resume
- Meet John at one of the following Guthrie events
About John R. Wood
John R. Wood was born and raised in Oklahoma. After graduating from Stillwater High School, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and took advantage of the G.I. Bill funding to pursue his college education at Oklahoma State University. John’s undergraduate studies were put on hold when he was deployed in 1990 for the Gulf War. He returned and completed a B.S. in journalism in 1994 after which he completed another two years of active duty military service.After fulfilling his military commitment, John returned to OSU where he earned a M.A. in political science and a Ph.D. in environmental policy and conflict. While working on his graduate degrees, John worked as a teaching and research assistant and later as an instructor. He also met and married his wife, Bonnie Ann Cain-Wood.
John and Bonnie chose to begin their life together in Guthrie. Purchasing their first home in the heart of Oklahoma has allowed them to maintain close ties with their extensive Oklahoma family.
John now works as a professor at Rose State where he has served as faculty senate president. He won the Oklahoma Political Science Professor of the Year in 2007 for two year colleges and the NISOD Teaching Excellence Award in the fall of 2008. John works closely with students as the faculty advisor for the Rose State’s Veterans Club, Vocal Oklahomans in Civic Engagement (VOICE) and the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature (OIL).
John works for his home town of Guthrie and native state of Oklahoma in many ways.
At the neighborhood level, John co-founded and served as vice chair on the First Capitol Neighborhood Solutions, which promotes higher property values, lower crime, and easier communication with city officials. He currently serves in an advisory capacity for First Capitol Neighborhood Solutions. He is now on the board of the Highland Park Neighborhood Association.
Locally, John is a member of the Guthrie Noon Lions and serves on the board of the Logan Community Services. He was also secretary of the Guthrie Transportation Authority, where he convinced the city to obtain an engineering study for a sidewalk from downtown south on Division to Wal-Mart. The future goal is to create an ADA compliant sidewalk through grants and private partnerships. Additionally, he served as vice chair on the Guthrie Park Board, where he worked to enhance and preserve one of Guthrie’s greatest treasures—its parks and green spaces.
At the state level, John is currently leading the charge for ethics reform in Oklahoma. He proposed two amendments that became the focus of much media attention. One amendment makes it transparent that legislators and other public officials receive gifts. And, another amendment outright bans lobbyists’ gifts to legislators. John is a member of the Oklahoma's Common Cause Board of Directors. (visit the news page for more on John's work with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission)
In an effort to better serve his community, John placed a successful bid for the Guthrie City Council Ward 1 seat. He was sworn in on May 5, 2009. As City Councilman, John serves as the Chair of the Streets Committee. John has worked to forge strong, productive and collaborative relationships with his fellow Councilors. Notable Council accomplishment during John's tenure include
- creating the first known City-wide comprehensive strategic plan,
- establishing the Stabilization Fund, a rainy day account composed of money not spent in previous budget year,
- implementing regional partnerships including Get Fit Logan County, Get Fit Guthrie, the joint management with the local YMCA of the City of Guthrie’s pool and wellness program, and the outsourcing of information technology services to the City of Edmond,
- hosting three Citizens Government Academies, two Citizens Polices Academies, and one Citizens Fire Academy,
- initiating the Public Information Forum, Citizens Rate and Fee Advisory Committee, the City Manager’s Weekly Update and the Citizen Request Tracker,
- increasing programming on GTV20 and the increasing broadcast of public meetings,
- continuing the annual
street capital improvement projects each year with a minimum of $100,000 being
put into new asphalt in the various wards of the City of Guthrie,
and - approving numerous community beatification and revitalization projects including the removal of dilapidated structures, strengthened code enforcement, entryway beautification, and restoration of the exterior of the old Water Treatment.
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