John N. Younker, Ph.D.

     John is a co-founder and the President of Associates In Continuous Improvement™(ACI), a Houston based management consulting firm founded in 1992. John’s professional focus at ACI is the provision of executive coaching and trusted advisory services to CEO’s and executive managers that include

• Executive leadership and management skills coaching & development,

• Key player (executive) selection, performance management and development,

• Organizational direction setting & strategic performance planning,

• Implementing and facilitating Peer Advisory Groups (PAG),

• Planning and coaching organizational change and transition, and

• Facilitating and coaching the development of high performing management teams.

John has served, since 1993, as a Chair for Vistage (formerly The Executive Committee - TEC), an international organization dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and enhancing the lives of CEO's and their Key Executives. John was recognized in 2000 as a “High Performing Chair” and in 2006 with the “Chair Excellence” award in 2006, 2007, and 2008, and he received the “Master Chair” award in 2006. In his Chair role, John leads and coaches the members of his CEO, Key Executive and Trusted Advisors groups. 

John is an Executive Professor and Advisor at the University of Houston, Bauer College of Business, Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship. In the past, he has served as the Director of the MBA Program at Our Lady of the Lake University’s Houston campus and as a Guest Lecturer for the Eisenhower Leadership Series, George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.

John is a member of several professional organizations including the Association for Capital Growth (ACG), the Texas Psychological Association (TPA), The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), the Texas Industrial/Organizational Psychologists (TIOP), the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the Houston Area Industrial-Organizational Psychologists (HAIOP), and The Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership. 

John is a former senior vice-president at The Institute, Inc. and was a vice-president and Senior Field Researcher at the American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC).   At the Center, he was extensively involved in field research and advisory initiatives that focused on employee involvement and empowerment, the development of high performing work teams, organization assessment and planning, and service quality improvement.  Other organizational associations include the Shell Mining Company, the Geisinger Medical Center, and the U.S. Navy where John was actively involved in Navy’s Human Resource Management School’s efforts in leadership and organization development, race relations education, and drug and alcohol abuse education and rehabilitation.

John’s client organizations (former and current) include, Apollo Sales & Marketing Group, Bell Canada, Glass & Door International, Hoechst-Celanese, McCoy Workplace Solutions, Moody Rambin Interests, QuadVest, Sheshunoff Management Services, Specialty Technical Consultants, Inc. - STC, The Law Firm of David M. Smith, Tube Supply, Inc., USAA, X-TRA Light Mfg.

John holds a doctorate in industrial-organizational psychology from The University of Memphis.  He is a guest speaker and lecturer and his writings are published in several professional journals and textbooks.

Associates In Continuous Improvement (ACI) - President

Vistage International - Chair