Chalk Hill, PA
John A. Wilson has been a career nonprofit developer, organizer, and administrator of anti-poverty community programs and organizations. The scope of his involvements has been local, statewide, regional, and national organizations as an administrator or board director. Wilson testified on public policy before committees of the PA Legislature, the California Assembly and the Congress of the United States. In 2009, he retired as the Executive Director of the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania after 16 years of leadership, legislative and policy representation and provision of training for 43 local anti-poverty non-profit agencies and their constituents.
While at CAAP, he developed a nationally credentialed peer-to-peer training project. Throughout his early career, he developed or founded numerous community programs and county and regional-based non-profit organizations. All established to treat anti-poverty issues and were focused on child development, domestic violence, hunger and nutrition, senior issues, family development, transportation and housing. After retirement he organized Progress Resources, Inc., a non-profit management services and training organization, to provide expertise, and transitional and crisis management for non-profit agencies. Post-retirement he served as interim executive director for Community Action Agencies in California, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as serving twice as interim executive director for the California Community Action Partnership Association. He frequently coordinates board development and strategic planning programs for associations and local agencies throughout the United States.
Wilson is currently the Board President of the Fayette County Community Action Agency, the founding President and current Vice President of Progress Resources Inc. (a nonprofit management services organization). He has served Touchstone Center for Crafts since 2015 and chairs the Nominating Committee. He previously served on the Governance and Audit Committees.
First introduced to the Laurel Highlands during college when he worked as a rafting guide and manager for Wilderness Voyageurs, he returned to live in the Laurel Highlands near Ohiopyle State Park, enjoys canoeing, reading, and listening to eclectic selections of music