John Stayton is the Co-founder and Director of the Venture Greenhouse. John spent 15 years in the field of high technology industrial marketing and sales. As a person with many interests, he also concurrently managed projects ranging from international joint venture consulting to directing a performing arts troupe. John earned an M.B.A. in International Business, Pacific Basin in 1995. In 1997, John and his wife Ana purchased an organic fruit farm in Sonoma County as a step towards developing a more ecological lifestyle. He desired to leverage his business background in developing a new profession that would serve the environment and society, and found the right opportunity when he met Jane Lorand in 2000. John became Co-founder and core faculty later that year. John teaches Strategic Enterprise Planning.