John's professional career began in 1974 when he joined the staff of the Maine Municipal Association staying seven years and serving first as their Director of Community Development and then as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. He left MMA to become Vice President of Mallar Development Services and, with Roger Mallar, formed Maine Tomorrow. In 1983, John became the sole owner and President of Maine Tomorrow until late 1994. From 1995 to 2002, he was a member of Governor Angus King’s Cabinet, serving for eight years as Commissioner of the Maine Department of Transportation. Upon leaving public service, Melrose reacquired Maine Tomorrow to again serve as its President until he sold the company to the Eaton Peabody Consulting Group effective January 2011. Presently, John is a Senior Consultant and the Managing Director for EPCG.

During his 37 year career, John has acquired extensive experience in public, project and association management, in public policy research and advocacy and in community development. John’s experience in community planning and development extends to over 50 Maine communities as well as a dozen state agencies. He has served as a team member for private developments including retail, manufacturing and medical, assisting on public relations, finance and regulatory approvals.

John’s management strengths extend to association management. Through contractual arrangements, he has managed the Maine Self Insurance Guarantee Association, the Maine Council of Self-Insurers, the Maine-Indian Tribal State Commission and the Maine Grocers Association. He also has represented numerous organizations providing legislative advocacy and public policy research services covering such topics as transportation, taxation, workers compensation, housing and energy. John is presently retained by the Maine Better Transportation Association as their Senior Policy Advisor and by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Maine as their Executive Director.