John Beckord has been President of Forward Janesville since 2001. John is responsible for the overall management of the organization and economic development activities. He serves as one of the five professional economic developers responsible for executing the Rock County 5.0 initiative. John also serves on the Downtown Development Alliance Board of Directors. John has worked in the association management field for 20 years including stops in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and Iowa City. He also worked for Alliant Energy for two years as an economic developer. Prior to falling into the field of economic development John spent a few years in Washington, D.C. working first for the U.S. Department of Labor and next, for the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors.