John Leinart

John Leinart has served on the board of directors of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley for more than 10 years. During his service, John has served as a Big Brother to three young men. He has also engaged his family in the mentoring experience, including his wife, two daughters, and his 87 year old father.

Leinart is a leader that does not hesitate to lead by example. In his capacity as Director of Human Resources for Deere & Company, John has coordinated volunteer recruitment activities that have recruited over 100 adult mentors for children in his community. Leinart spearheaded the Big Brothers Big Sister’s first strategic plan that increased the impact from 200 mentoring relationships to more than 1,500 in a seven year span. His leadership also expanded the service territory to include 13 rural counties that have limited resources but high youth risk.

By taking a solid model that engages adult volunteers in a healthy, positive and safe mentoring relationship with vulnerable children, Leinart was able to lead and orchestrate a significant expansion of the Big Brothers Big Sisters programming, creating new delivery systems, maintaining a consistent cost structure during growth, and increasing significant outcome results.

One of Leinart’s colleagues says, “He continues to lead in every aspect of our organization to inspire others and push the mission of the organization beyond perceived walls and limitations.”

He continues to serve on the organization’s board of directors and as a Big Brother.