John Koehr provides interim executive leadership to nonprofit, mission-driven, membership-based professional societies and trade associations serving science, engineering, and allied professions and industries. A trusted partner to boards, volunteer leaders, and staff, he brings steady, accountable leadership during periods of organizational transition, stabilizing operations, strengthening governance, creating structural clarity, and setting strategic direction while sustaining member value, organizational momentum, and long-term mission impact.
John brings extensive executive experience across organizations ranging from $3M to $120M in revenue, with staffs of 7 to 350, and diverse governance structures and revenue models. He has served in two interim chief staff executive roles for trade associations, including President and CEO of the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter and Executive Director of the Southern California Contractors Association (SCCA). In these roles, he stabilized operations, strengthened financial performance, and positioned organizations for future success.
His prior leadership experience includes serving as Executive Director of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and holding multiple senior roles at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), including leading two affiliated organizations as President. Across these roles, he improved financial performance, aligned strategy and resources, enhanced governance effectiveness, modernized business processes, launched new revenue-generating programs, and cultivated high-performing, collaborative cultures.
Earlier in his career, John held technical and operational leadership roles as a senior project manager in the subsea telecommunications cable industry and as a project manager and engineer in the commercial nuclear power sector. He began his career as a submarine officer in the United States Navy, where he developed a foundation of disciplined leadership, accountability, and mission focus that continues to shape his executive approach.