John H. Creighton

Professor of Speech

A native of Niagara Falls, New York, Mr. Creighton earned a B.A. in Political Science & Journalism and lettered in golf & tennis as an undergraduate at Franklin College.

Upon graduation, he was drafted into the Army as a private and eventually rose to the rank of Captain. While in the military, he got a pilot’s license, became a skydiver (highest jump - 13,500 feet - Ft Benning, GA) and spent hours riding his 650 Triumph.

After an honorable discharge, Mr. C went into sales and became a national sales leader for a Fortune 500 Company. As part of the selling process he derived a great deal of pleasure making presentations to clients & potential clients. As Vice President of the New York State Jaycees he travelled extensively throughout the state making presentations & motivating people without the benefit of a $0.00.

Professor Creighton decided to return to school to get a Masters in Speech Communication. While teaching at Syracuse University, he developed a business presentation course that was adopted and taught within his department, SU’s Executive MBA program and three individual US Army programs.

Once his graduate studies were completed, Mr. C spent the next 25+ years travelling 46 weeks a year designing, developing and delivering speeches, seminars and workshops, on communication, customer service, management development and sales for corporations and associations. Over 80 percent of his business came from repeat and referral customers among which were AT&T, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Carrier, Ford and IBM to name a few.

However, speech was always been Mr C's passion, which is why he continued to teach and coach individuals, teams and executives presentation skills throughout his career. His seminar, Death Valley: Every Speaker’s Nightmare was adopted by several corporations and associations and was consistently ranked #1 or #2 for 24 years at the L.A. Bantle Management Development Institute. One of his fondest memories came from coaching a golf professional in a presentation that ultimately led to the attainment of a designation achieved by less than 5% of the 25,000 members of the PGA (Professional Golf Association).

His platform experiences include the traditional classroom setting, video conferencing and satellite distance learning. The largest audience Mr. C spoke in front of was 1,000+ people in Washington, D.C. where his speech was aired on C-SPAN. The most unusual place he has spoken was in a bar in Portland, ME where he conducted a three-day seminar.
Mr. C is certified to teach True Colors and licensed to teach Color Lingo. He was an active member of the National Speakers Association and American Society for Training & Development for over 25 years. He is a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) and is learning Tai Chi and Qigong

Professor Creighton created & taught the Veterans-Only Speech Class from 2008 – 2016 and was the Advisor for the Student Veterans of America on West Campus.

Captain Creighton is a Life Member of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Vietnam Dog Handlers Association, Patriot Guard Riders, American Legion, honorary member of the Fairways for Warriors, and a Caregiver for the Wounded Warrior Project. Mr. C has volunteered for the National Veterans Wheelchair Games & the Central Florida Honor Flight. He has conducted 749 “Veteran Salutes” honoring veterans for their military service who are currently in the care of Cornerstone Hospice.



Contact

West Campus
5-122
jcreighton@valenciacollege.edu

Hours



Due to the Coronavirus Mr C will not be on campus this semester. If you have any questions, email him at jcreighton@valenciacollege.edu.