John Berggren serves as executive director of Operations at the National Federation of the Blind. In this role, he is responsible for much of the behind-the-scenes infrastructure at the Jernigan Institute. The Operations department provides facilities maintenance, events management, shipping and receiving, and information technology and audio visual services.
With degrees in industrial engineering from the University of Buffalo, John’s early work experience was primarily in manufacturing and information technology. He found the National Federation of the Blind family in 1999 when searching for a more meaningful career in Baltimore. Before joining the NFB, John had never met a blind person. Any misconceptions about blindness he may have had were quickly dispelled as he came to understand and embrace Federation philosophy.
Among John’s first assignments at the national office was to build and maintain computers that ran NFB-NEWSLINE®. He filled various roles in the organization before taking the helm of the Operations department in 2011. John also serves as the chairman of convention organization and activities. One of his convention highlights has been breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest umbrella mosaic at the NFB’s seventy-fifth anniversary convention in Orlando with 2,480 of his Federation friends. Though difficult to surpass, John is always working to make next year’s national convention better than the last.
When spare time permits, John likes to hike, read, and embark on family adventures in the woods or at amusement parks with his daughter. He also serves on the board of the Baltimore Teacher Network, an operator of several charter schools in Baltimore. John is a lifetime member of the Greater Baltimore chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland.