Dr. John J. Franey is a leading developmental consultant and trainer in the areas of leadership, education, athletics, coaching, educational reform, human development, and organizational change. He was a standout high school student-athlete in San Diego, garnering national attention in the college recruiting process. After receiving dozens of football and baseball scholarship offers from colleges across the nation, he choose to take his career to the powerhouse Division I baseball program at Harvard University. He was a member of two Ivy League Championship and NCAA Regional qualifying teams for the Crimson. While serious arm injuries prevented him from moving into the professional ranks after he graduated from Harvard, he was committed to having a lasting impact on others, as so many coaches had done for his career.
His career took off as a K-12 educator and coach while he worked through graduate school and provided private sports lessons for kids across the county. During that time, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of San Diego’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences where his dissertation focused on aspiring school leaders’ development of instructional leadership capacity and instructional coaching skills. It is at that time that his elementary PE students gave him the moniker of "Dr. Coach," which has stuck with him ever since.
Following graduation from the USD PhD program, John worked as a lead researcher and adjunct professor at the University of San Diego, as well as teaching in the PhD in Leadership program at Alliant International University. For nearly a decade prior to opening Developing Difference Makers, John worked as an independent consultant in the areas of leadership development, educational reform, school leadership, school turnarounds, survey development, and instructional practices.
Wanting to make a greater impact in the lives of others, John left the university to open Developing Difference Makers, LLC in 2015. Since its founding, John and the company have developed an outstanding reputation for its developmental work with individuals and organizations. John's engaging, innovative, motivational, hands-on, and humorous presentation skills are an instant hit with the nearly 100 organizations, teams, and staffs he has worked with. He is excited to continue to extend the reach of Developing Difference Makers and to make a difference in the world!
His career took off as a K-12 educator and coach while he worked through graduate school and provided private sports lessons for kids across the county. During that time, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of San Diego’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences where his dissertation focused on aspiring school leaders’ development of instructional leadership capacity and instructional coaching skills. It is at that time that his elementary PE students gave him the moniker of "Dr. Coach," which has stuck with him ever since.
Following graduation from the USD PhD program, John worked as a lead researcher and adjunct professor at the University of San Diego, as well as teaching in the PhD in Leadership program at Alliant International University. For nearly a decade prior to opening Developing Difference Makers, John worked as an independent consultant in the areas of leadership development, educational reform, school leadership, school turnarounds, survey development, and instructional practices.
Wanting to make a greater impact in the lives of others, John left the university to open Developing Difference Makers, LLC in 2015. Since its founding, John and the company have developed an outstanding reputation for its developmental work with individuals and organizations. John's engaging, innovative, motivational, hands-on, and humorous presentation skills are an instant hit with the nearly 100 organizations, teams, and staffs he has worked with. He is excited to continue to extend the reach of Developing Difference Makers and to make a difference in the world!