John Sharkey has served as President of the Five Rivers Council since July 2019. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Strategic Planning.
A native of Northern NJ, John earned his Eagle as a member of Troop 138 in Paramus. He was also a member of the inaugural class of the National Troop Leader Development program held at Schiff Scout Reservation in 1973. In 2021, he was awarded the Silver Beaver.
Over a 36-year career with Corning Incorporated, John served in several strategic planning, engineering, analysis, and business development roles, including over 15 years as a key leader in Corning’s Optical Fiber Business. He also served as director and chairman for several of Corning Incorporated’s Optical Fiber and Cable joint ventures. John retired from Corning as Vice President, Chief of Staff to the CEO in 2018.
In addition to his volunteer work with Scouting, he has been active in several community not-for-profit organizations, including serving on the boards of the American Red Cross, Greater Steuben Chapter, the Family Service Society, Inc., and the Southern Tier Network, a collaborate public/private partnership aimed at enabling universal and affordable broadband services and promoting economic growth throughout the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes region of NY.
John received a BS and MS in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Rutgers University. He is the 2023 Medal of Excellence recipient from the Rutgers University School of Engineering.
John and his wife, Chris, have two adult sons. He enjoys fly fishing and splitting time between their farm in Troupsburg, NY, and home in Sarasota, FL.