John D. Prue
PROS Academy

Education
M.A. Webster University, St. Louis, MO (Management)
B.S. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (Recreation Administration)

Employment History
Founder/CEO, JDP Services, LLC – Management Consulting, 2025 to Present
MWR Program Analysist, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, 2020 to 2025
MWR Installation Program Director, Naval Station Great Lakes, 2007 to 2020
Recreation Director (MWR) Naval Station Great Lakes, 1991 to 2007
Family/Community Activities Manager (MWR) Naval Station Great Lakes, 1986-1991

Certification/Memberships/Awards
Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP)
Longtime Member of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA)
Elected Member – American Academy of Park and Recreation Administration
Department of the Navy – Meritorious Civilian Service Award (2 times)
Commander Navy Installations Command – Morale, Welfare & Recreation Lifetime Achievement Award

Professional Experience
John recently completed 39 years of service supporting Department of Defense quality of life services, and specifically Morale,
Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) for the U.S. Navy. Most recently, he served as the MWR Program Analyst for Navy Region Mid-
Atlantic, where he performed analytical duties to assess the overall effectiveness of MWR programs across twenty-three
installations and annex sites within a nine-state area supporting a $125M annual budget. He dedicated a sizable portion of his
career as the Installation Program Director for the MWR Department at Naval Station Great Lakes, IL. In this role, he led a team
of over three hundred individuals and managed more than twenty facilities and programs, including recreational venues such
as a golf course, marina, bowling center, movie theater, ticket/travel office, library and community recreation centers. His
oversight extended to sports/fitness and aquatic facilities, community special events, parks and green spaces, child and youth
services, lodging/hospitality programs, entertainment clubs/restaurants, and other revenue-generating business ventures. In
2012, his MWR team received the distinguished National Gold Medal Award in the Armed Forces Recreation category. John has
been actively involved with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) for over 30 years. His contributions include
network leadership, conference presentations, article submissions, chairing and serving on the conference program
committee, and since 2022, serving on the NRPA Board of Directors.

Project & Related Experience
From 2015-2024, annually led a series of MWR facility/program assessments at various Navy installations around the
world. Assessments were conducted for a Navy MWR accreditation program with detailed program standards for all 12
business lines. On-site reviews specifically looked at validating program standards in staffing, facilities, programming,
equipment, administration, financials and customer satisfaction.

He coordinated and led a $14M non-appropriated fund construction project from inception to completion in 2017. The
multipurpose entertainment complex supports the entire Great Lakes population and is complete with a twenty-eight-lane
bowling center, movie theater, restaurant, sports bar, and live entertainment area. The project came in under budget and
reduced the operational footprint combining multiple facilities into one, for long-term efficiency.

Trained through the Naval Post Graduate School in Strategic Planning for Execution and Assessment for Risk, John has been
involved with forecasting and developing tactics for organizational success throughout his career. He personally led all
efforts in strategic planning for the Morale, Welfare and Recreation program in 2022-23 for the Commander, Navy Region
Mid-Atlantic.

As Special Assistant for the 2017 Department of Defense Warrior Games. He contributed to the coordination, planning, and
oversight of a nine-day, $12 million adaptive sports competition held in the City of Chicago. The “Warrior Games” is a
Paralympic-style event featuring adaptive sporting competitions that provide a world-class platform for over 250 wounded
warriors from various branches of the armed services, including participants from Great Britain. He collaborated with the
City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District, the Chicago business community, and major venues throughout the city, such
as McCormick Place, United Center, and Navy Pier.