John W. Sheldon

Born and educated through high school in Wilmington, Delaware, John attended East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. He received his B.S. degree in Business Administration. After teaching high school vocational education for two years, he returned to ECU, having been accepted in the Graduate Studies Program of Rehabilitation Counselor Education. He received his M.A. Ed. Degree in Counseling and moved to Winston-Salem, NC where he was employed by the N.C. Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services. He served as a Counselor for a variety of caseloads, including substance abuse, medical rehabilitation, and schools. He was promoted to a Counselor-in-Charge position responsible for the work of a number of counselors.

He later joined Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, Inc. as their Vice President of Work Force Development Services. In addition, he served as VP of Organizational Development for 32 counties in Northwestern N.C.

An opportunity arose within the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System, to become the Coordinator of Community Based Vocational Training for the Department of Exceptional Children. The program served high school aged students working towards a diploma in the Occupational Course of Study.

For over twenty years, he was an evening Instructor for Forsyth Technical College in the Business Technologies Department, teaching a diverse set of courses that included marketing, advertising, supervision and management.

In addition, he served on many boards and committees, that included the Forsyth County Department of Social Services Board of Directors, the Experiment in Self Reliance Board, the Horizons Residential Care Center, and both the Winston-Salem Workforce Development Board and the Northwest Piedmont Workforce Development Board. He was a member of the 1996 Class of Leadership Winston-Salem.

He and his wife, Sandra have been married for over 37 years.  Their daughter, Carrie and son-in-law Chris, have a son, Jackson Christopher.