John Stearns is an advisor to Navigate International. John has more than 20 years of experience in senior executive positions in both domestic and international organizations, from technology start-ups to turn-arounds in mature consumer enterprises. In 1997, John co-founded Arista Systems, providing leading-edge E-learning management software to Fortune 500 clients.
Arista was acquired by Digital Think (NASD – DTHK) in June, 2000. John was CEO of Project California, a privately funded industrial development initiative tasked with building California’s advanced transportation and telecommunications industries. From 1991 to 1995, John was President and COO of Navigation Technologies in Sunnyvale, CA, the world’s leading supplier of digital map databases for automotive navigation, Internet driving directions, and other transportation applications. John spent 15 years with the American Automobile Association(AAA), in successive COO and Group Manager positions with seven auto clubs around the U.S. and as Managing Director, Strategic Planning, Research and Development at national headquarters. A native of Vermont, John holds an M.B.A. from Rivier College and an B.A. in Philosophy from Holy Cross College.