John J. Nelson

Lt. Col. U.S. Army, Ret.

Simons Center Director

About Me

John serves as the Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow for the Simons Center. John served in the U.S. Army for more than 20 years in the Air Defense Artillery. After retiring from military service in 2007, he has led numerous analytical and organizational improvement efforts for the private sector, government, and military organizations. In 2015, he cofounded Morris, Nelson & Associates and serves as its chief executive officer. For the past several years, he has worked with several interagency organizations, law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, and local levels as well as non-profit organizations combatting Transnational Organized Crime. He joined the Simons Center in March 2021.