Motivational Speakers

There is a huge disconnect today between how educators and students judge success of the education system. John R. Jell clearly builds the bridge to eliminate this gap. His humble roots, powerful message, and inspiring speaking style have made John a sought after motivational speaker with a very impressive client list on the topic of workforce preparation and School-to-Career.

John R. Jell was raised in a dysfunctional, single-parent family. By the time he turned 17, he had to deal with family issues such as mental and physical abuse, mental illness, attempted suicide, and alcoholism.

The age of seventeen was a turning point for John. He laid out some plans for his future, which included going to college. As both parents lost their jobs, he paid his own way.

While in college, John was frustrated that students were not being told the whole story on preparing for life after school. As a result, he embarked on a path to balance academic learning with real world skill development in the hopes of building a competitive advantage over every other graduating student.

Based on his preparation, upon graduating from college, he was immediately hired by The Coca-Cola Company after they created a position for him at a time when Coca-Cola was one of America's most admired corporations and did not recruit college graduates in his area. Coke opted to recruit people with 3 to 5 years of experience gained at another company's expense at the time.

In just 6 years and 4 months, John progressed from an entry level position in Canada to being responsible for rebuilding a $350 million business for Coca-Cola in the USA. To this day, he remains the only person ever promoted from Canadian bottling operations to the USA parent and one of a handful of people who can claim that they have been employed by the world's #1 beverage company, Coca-Cola, and the world's #1 food company, Nestlé.

John is the author of two books with one common message and unprecedented support from national educator leaders as both books were written in conjunction with educators and business professionals. "From School To A Career" is targeted to Voc/Tech and high school freshman. "So... You Want A Great Job When You Graduate?!" is targeted to high school juniors thru college sophomores.

John practices what he preaches and will be serving his third term as President of the parent booster club for Los Angeles Unified School District's (LAUSD) Dixie Canyon Avenue School (K-5). In his first year, he spearheaded a team that took annual parent fundraising from $30,000 to over $100,000 to enhance student programs and teacher support. Having been one himself, John Jell also works with At-Risk youth."