Dr. John D. Jinkner is a distinguished academic, consultant, and industry expert with over four decades of experience in business administration, logistics, and rail freight management. Holding a Doctorate in Business Administration (D.B.A.) with a focus on Marketing from Jacksonville University (2017), alongside an M.B.A. and dual B.B.A. degrees in Management and Transportation and Logistics from the University of North Florida (2002, 2000), Dr. Jinkner has built a career marked by academic excellence, innovative leadership, and impactful contributions to both education and industry. With a consistent academic record of near-perfect GPAs, he also earned an Associate of Arts in General Education from Florida Junior College (1985) and received multiple honors, including the Kinne Merit Scholarship and membership in Phi Kappa Phi and Beta Gamma Sigma. Dr. Jinkner’s academic career spans multiple institutions and continents, reflecting a commitment to global education and operational leadership. From 2002 to 2023, he served as Interim Director of Operations at Webster University’s Tashkent campus, overseeing a 3,000-student international partnership with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Education. In this role, he managed finance, human resources, international faculty services, and complex ministerial relations while navigating visa, taxation, and currency challenges. As Faculty Chair for MBA, Finance, and IT programs, he fostered excellence in research and teaching, earning multiple Faculty Excellence awards. His leadership extended to mentoring students as Faculty Alumni Sponsor and guiding teams to victories in the Webster Worldwide Capstone Competition and global Capsim Challenge. Beyond Webster, Dr. Jinkner has held pivotal roles at institutions like Jacksonville University, where he served as a D.B.A. Assistant and International Liaison, representing the university in China through partnerships with Hefei Technical College and Anhui University (2014–2020). At Florida State College at Jacksonville (2016–2020), he developed international recruitment strategies and managed the grant-funded LINCS Program for logistics certifications. His teaching portfolio is extensive, covering undergraduate and graduate courses in supply chain management, marketing, operations, and business ethics across institutions like Savannah State University, University of North Florida, and the OSCE Academy in Kyrgyzstan. Notably, his expertise in business simulations led to invitations to teach “The Manager as Integrator” at Harvard Business School in 2009 and 2010, guiding 900 MBA students through capstone simulations. In the professional realm, Dr. Jinkner has made significant contributions to the rail freight industry. Since 2016, as a Rail Rate Expert and Grant Writer at Rail Rate Advisors, he led high-value consulting projects, including rail freight savings of over $5 million annually for a major utility and securing millions in federal grants for infrastructure improvements, such as $8.18 million for Nebraska Central Railroad (2019) and $8.26 million for New Orleans Gulf Coast Railway (2020). His 20-year tenure at CSX Transportation (1996–2016) as Manager of Price Strategy and Yield Management was transformative, shaping public pricing structures that influenced billions in revenue and resolving $12 billion in contract pricing uncertainties. Recognized with CSX’s Chairman’s Award of Excellence and multiple Six Sigma Blackbelt projects, as he saved millions through operational efficiencies. Dr. Jinkner’s scholarly output includes publications on rail pricing, cultural perspectives in Chinese contracts, and predictive models for railcar maintenance, alongside presentations at prestigious venues like the Transload Distribution Association of North America and Guangdong University. hIS dissertation, “What is the Link Between Preparation, Luck, and Firm Performance?” (2017), explores the interplay of chance and strategy in business success. Additionally, his military service as an Airborne Ranger in the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Battalion (1979–1985) underscores his disciplined leadership, with training in elite programs like Ranger School and awards like the Army Service Award. A dynamic educator, consultant, and strategist, Dr. Jinkner continues to bridge academia and industry, driving innovation in logistics, education, and rail freight while mentoring the next generation of global business leaders.