John Daniel

Retired Executive/Social Entrepreneur/Author

John is a veteran HR executive with deep experience in leading people and creating a positive company culture. In 2022, John was a Fellow at Harvard University studying social impact strategies as part of the Advanced Leadership Initiative. Building on his Fellowship, John launched a social enterprise in Memphis in 2023 to promote health, well-being and social engagement. John retired in 2021 after 47 years in the banking industry.

In his most recent executive role, John was Chief Human Resources Officer at First Horizon Bank. He is a frequent speaker on culture, leadership and well-being. John is also involved deeply in the community and serves on the boards of the United Way, New Memphis, Seeding Success, The Center for Transforming Communities and River City Capital. He is a recipient of the 2020 James House Williamson Award for his contributions in advancing the HR profession.

He and his wife Leslie recently were honored with the Living Heart Award by the American Heart Association for their contributions to the AHA. The annual award is now named in their honor. John is a heart transplant recipient. John is the author of Ancestral Mindset/Adopting an Evolutionary Framework to Lead, Influence and Collaborate, a study of human behavior from the lens of evolutionary psychology