John Erik Metcalf

Personal Biography “Put yourself in their shoes.” “Do you understand why you shouldn’t do that?” “Remember the Golden Rule?” These are phrases that punctuated my upbringing. An only child, I grew up in the hill country north of San Antonio, Texas. I was homeschooled until eighth grade, when I chose to enroll in public school.

My parents, moderate conservatives, both work primarily from home – teaching me there was a natural fit. Their approach was similar to the Montessori Method. I’d focus on one subject as long as I wished, sometimes weeks, when I became uninterested I’d move to another. The computer, first a Tandy 1000, was incorporated into many of my lessons. I wasn’t allowed to play games much, so I’d recode them, then “test ‘em out.”

I recall running errands as a family; my father would proclaim “Let’s be Encouragers today.” Encouragers was a name conferred upon us by a neighbor years ago, it’s an exercise my parents have always taught: inspire others with confidence wherever you are. A practice I strive to carry on today... More here: http://blog.think27.com/joh...

The Third-Person-Bio
John Erik Metcalf is a fifth-year Advertising major at the University of Texas, with a heavy concentration in Computer Science and a research emphasis in STS (Science, Technology and Society) convergence. A maven/relater, John is most excited when connecting people and businesses to form mutually beneficial relationships. John practices and holds dearly the concepts of empathy, critical thinking and awareness.

As a freshman, Mr. Metcalf began working professionally as a technology and social media consultant for companies such as radar.net, qipit.com and Mr. Youth. Still consulting, he now serves as Director of Community Development for a global, non-profit industry association, the IMS Forum, which focuses on accelerating services such as GSM, IPTV, VoIP and WiMAX through interoperability testing and standardization.

Ever one for exploration and excitement, John is an avid mountain biker, and a frequent skydiver. He has participated in various University organizations including Texas Crew, Texas Cheer, Texas Entrepreneurs, and has now had the pleasure of bringing to life Texas Ventures.