John S.

About John S.

I am a research scientist working in Project Management and Interactive Audio with over 11 years as a director leading cross-functional teams and 6 years in media and games. I strive to bring a harmonious blend of scientific curiosity and artistic creativity to my work, and leverage my experience leading statewide programs to drive timelines, communicate with teams, and meet deadlines.Crafting immersive evolving environments and telling compelling stories through sound is at the heart of what I do in Interactive Audio. Sound and Digital Signal Processing is an incredible medium - I manipulate digital signals which tell speakers how to vibrate and create compression waves which are then decoded by our brains to create visceral experiences. It\'s an abstract kind of magic which can touch the deepest parts of our souls and connect with people on a profound level. My first touchstones in game development were found in the Use Map Settings community for \'Starcraft: Brood War\', followed by the custom games community for \'Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne\'. I have fond memories of contributing to \"Monster Ranchers\", balancing \"Army vs Aliens/Bathroom-Germ Wars\" and Hero Arenas, and playing the most ridiculous tower and matrix defenses. More Info: https://ambientartstyles.com/bio/

Experience

1. Director of Programs

   Jovial Concepts

   Sep 2021 — Present

   Lead and support staff across a horticulture, food access, and community focused organization with a $600K annual budget. Oversee hiring, training, and program management for youth and day programs serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and youth gardening initiatives; coordinate the construction of gardens at 7 schools between multiple districts, and a community orchard featuring 600 fruit trees, 4 vineyards, 60+ raised beds, beehives, and medicinal and sensory gardens.In 2025, my team impacted more than 6,500 individuals and volunteers for a total of 12,326 volunteer hours to drive our projects forward. We grew and donated 9,329lbs of fresh organic produce to local hunger relief organizations, and served 930 adults and youth with disabilities.

Education

• The University of Kansas

  Bachelor's Degree, Environmental Studies

  2009 — 2014

• Universidade Federal de Santa Maria

  Master's degree, Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture

  2015 — 2017