John D. Evans is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

business executive A business executive is a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. Executives run companies or government agencies. They create plans to help their organizations ...

and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

, best known for his role as one of the co-founders of the

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...

television network.

Business career

Military

Evans served in the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, achieving the rank of lieutenant during his career. He served aboard the aircraft carriers USS ''America'' and USS ''John F. Kennedy'', was a television project head in the Navy project SEALAB, and served on the staff of the

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

Telecommunications

Evans founded Evans Communications System after his career in the Navy, starting with two radio licenses in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen C ...

. In 1972 he became a regional manager of the largest operating region of the predecessor of the

Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...

company, and eventually took the job of chief operating officer for Arlington Cable Partners. As an investor in the company, he helped build the first cable system in the Washington D.C. area. A 2016 inductee into the Cable Television Industry's ''Hall of Fame'', Evans is perhaps best known for his role in co-founding the public affairs cable network

, which put cameras in the halls and legislature of the

US Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

to document the legislative work of America's elected officials for the first time. The network came about through a conversation he had with a former navy buddy of his

Brian Lamb Brian Patrick Lamb (; born October 9, 1941) is an American journalist. He is the founder, executive chairman, and the now-retired CEO of C-SPAN, an American cable network that provides coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Sen ...

, who shared his idea of an all-Congress television station with Evans in July 1977. Evans then helped Lamb found and develop the network. Evans' chief occupation at the time was President of Arlington TeleCommunications Corp, as he helped to expand the idea for a more locally oriented network to one that had major access to the halls of Congress. In the 1980s, Evans also became President of Hauser Communications when it acquired Arlington TeleCommunications Corp and changed its name to Arlington Cable Partners, and continued to serve on the board of C-SPAN. After being named Chairman of C-SPAN's Executive Committee (1992-1994), he helped draft a new plan named "C-SPAN 2000" to provide new strategic direction, implemented as Evans was chairman of the board for C-SPAN itself in the early 1990s. During his tenure as Chairman, C-SPAN was the winner of several Golden Cable ACE awards, a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

, and a Golden Beacon Award. By the mid-1980s Evans was serving as chairman and CEO of Evans Telecommunications. He also served on the boards of the National Cable Television Association, the Washington Metropolitan Cable Club, and Falcon Cable Holdings. Since helping to found C-SPAN, Evans has appeared on the network more than 100 times. Today he continues to serve as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Evans Telecommunications Co, The John D. Evans Foundation, as Founding Director of the

National Cable Satellite Corporation Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...

and Director of

National Cable & Telecommunications Association NCTA – The Internet & Television Association (formerly the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and commonly known as the NCTA) is the principal trade association for the U.S. broadband and pay television industries. It represents ...

. He is also on the board of Internet2, a consortium of 221 US Universities operating an 8.8 Terabit capacity research and education network. From 2013-2017, Evans was Industry representative to the board of Trustees of the Digital Preservation Network. In 2009 Evans was named Entrepreneur of the Year by

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries t ...

. In 2005 Evans was invited by

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

to consult with Emory committees and serve on a Futurist Forum Panel to help Emory develop its strategic plan.

Other Business Activities

In 1992, Evans bought Waterford Farm in

Middleburg, Virginia Middleburg is a town in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 673 as of the 2010 census. It is the southernmost town along Loudoun County's shared border with Fauquier County. Middleburg is known as the "Nation's Horse ...

and began breeding cattle. He is also an investor and serves on the board of Accelerator Technology Holdings headquartered in

Amman, Jordan Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 as of 2021, Amman is ...

. John also served as co-chair of Dr. Robert Gallo's Advisory Board at the Institute of Human Virology.

Honors and awards

In 2009 Evans received the Courage in Business award from the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. In 2018 University of Maryland School of Medicine awarded him a lifetime-achievement award for public service. In 2019, he was honored with 2019 Distinguished Alumnus Award from University Liggett School.

Personal life

Evans is the son of Edward S. Evans, Jr, former CEO of Evans Products Company, nephew of Robert Beverley Evans, and grandson of Edward S. Evans Sr, who, in 1926, flew around the world in 28 days setting the world's record with pilot Linton Wells. John Evans is a graduate of the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, and has homes in

Sag Harbor, New York Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on eastern Long Island. The village developed as a working port on Gardiner's Bay. The population was 2,772 at the 2 ...

and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, John D. Living people American television executives Philanthropists from New York (state) United States Navy officers University of Michigan alumni C-SPAN people Year of birth missing (living people) Businesspeople from New York City American business executives Philanthropists from Florida Businesspeople from Florida People from Fort Lauderdale, Florida