John Gibbs

Byron Center, MI

With more than 20 years of private, public sector, and nonprofit leadership experience, John currently serves as the County Administrator for Ottawa County, Michigan, overseeing county operations, a staff of 1,200, and an annual budget of over $250 million.

Prior to leading Ottawa County, John ran for U.S. Congress, defeating a well-known incumbent in the primary despite being outspent 100-to-1.

Before running for office, John served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at HUD under Secretary Ben Carson, overseeing an annual budget of $8 billion for programs addressing homelessness, community development, and disaster relief, in addition to the successful rapid deployment of more than $9 billion in CARES Act funds in response to coronavirus. Prior to being appointed by President Trump as Acting Assistant Secretary, John served as Senior Advisor to Secretary Carson.

In addition to federal government service, John has 7 years of nonprofit leadership experience in Christian missions in Japan, as well as software startups in Silicon Valley, including working for a cybersecurity startup, Symantec, Palm, and at Apple on the first version of the iPhone. John is completely fluent in Japanese and has passed the Japanese government’s highest-level qualification exam (N1).

First in his family to attend college, John holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University, and a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.