John W. Newstrom is a respected teacher, widely published author, and consultant to organizations in the areas of training and supervisory development. He is a Professor Emeritus of Management in the Management Studies Department of the Labovitz School of Business and Economics at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). While there, he taught courses in managing change, training and development, organizational behavior and management, and interpersonal and group relations for nearly 30 years. He was previously on the faculty at Arizona State University (ASU), and he also worked at Honeywell Company. He holds bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Minnesota. He has conducted training programs on a wide range of topics for organizations in the health care, steel, taconite mining, consumer products, gas transmission, public utility, and paper products industries as well as for city governments and federal agencies.

Dr. Newstrom has published more than 60 professional and practitioner articles in periodicals such as Academy of Management Executive, Academy of Management Journal, Workforce, Personnel Journal, Human Resource Planning, Business Horizons, Training and Development, Journal of Management Development, California Management Review, S.A.M. Advanced Management Journal, Training, Supervisory Management, Journal of Management, Journal of Occupational Behavior, and Supervision. He has served on the editorial review boards for several management journals, and he is the co-author of more than 40 books in various editions and languages, including The Manager's Bookshelf, Organizational Behavior, Supervision, Transfer of Training, Games Trainers Play, Leaders and the Leadership Process, The Big Book of Team Building Games, Leading with a Laugh, and his newest, The Fun Minute Manager.

His administrative experiences include being chairperson of UMD's Business Administration Department, director of the Center for Professional Development, acting director of ASU's Bureau of Business and Economic Research, and chairperson of the Management Education and Development (MED) division of the Academy of Management. He has also served on (or as a strategic consultant to) the boards of directors of several organizations, such as the American Society for Training & Development, St. Louis County Heritage and Arts Center, United Developmental Achievement Center, Duluth-Superior Community Foundation, Riverwood Healthcare Center, Riverwood Foundation, and Arrowhead Food Bank. He has held memberships in the Academy of Management, Organizational Behavior Teaching Society, and the Society for Advancement of Management.

Dr. Newstrom has received many awards in recognition of his innovative teaching and dedicated service to students and the community. He was the recipient of an Outstanding Reviewer Award from the MED division of the Academy of Management, the Outstanding Faculty Award from the UMD Student Association, the campus Outstanding Adviser Award, and several “favorite professor” recognition awards at UMD. His highest honor occurred when he was named a recipient of the Horace T. Morse–University of Minnesota Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education. Dr. Newstrom is also a member of the University of Minnesota 's prestigious Academy of Distinguished Teachers.

On the personal side, John is married (to Diane, for 45 years) and is the father of two college graduates (Scott and Heidi). He loves to hunt, work crossword puzzles, bake Scandinavian pastries, play with his granddaughter, drive his red sportscar, play golf and pickleball, maintain contact with former students, play practical jokes, conduct genealogical research, work outdoors at his cabin in northern Minnesota, spend quality time with family members, play cribbage with friends, and vacation in sunny climates. His favorite community service activities include being a frequent blood donor, certified pickleball trainer, co-leader of a Paint-A-Thon team for painting the houses of low-income persons, hospice volunteer, and “big brother” to a young boy. John also sings bass in a barbershop quartet, the Northern Knights. He and his wife divide their time between Aitkin, Minnesota, and The Villages, Florida, where he practices the fine art of “neoteny” (energetic and joyful living).