John Kern

John Kern is Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Operations at Cisco. He leads a global organization responsible for accelerating innovation, enabling profitable growth, and delivering an unrivaled customer experience. His functional accountabilities include new product introduction, product lifecycle management, sourcing and supplier management, planning, manufacturing, logistics, and quality.

Since joining Cisco in 2003, Kern has held various leadership positions in the supply chain. Previously, he managed Product Operations, Supplier Management and Quality Operations, the key interfaces between the supply chain, Cisco's product development team and the global supply base. Prior to this, he managed the Global Supplier Management organization, responsible for enabling Cisco innovation through effective sourcing and supplier development.

Prior to Cisco, Kern worked in the networking and semiconductor industries, including seven years at Texas Instruments, in sales management and business development roles. He also served 6 years in the Army National Guard as a Field Artillery officer.

Kern is also passionate about improving childhood education, with a focus on reducing gaps in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). He shows his commitment and helps realize Cisco's STEM corporate social responsibility initiatives by serving on the board of two nonprofits: Resource Area For Teaching (RAFT), supporting the next generation of thinkers and innovators through hands-on learning, and the Krause Center for Innovation (KCI), a learning center for K-12 teachers that emphasizes technology integration and STEM curriculum.

Kern holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame.