Faces of Conservation

John Goody: Honoring Family Roots

Born in Pennsylvania, raised in Maryland and educated at Duke University in North Carolina, John Goody’s roots run deep along the eastern seaboard. However, in recent years, Goody expanded his family’s reach as he traveled around the world as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, eventually settling in his adopted home of Hawaii.

After retiring from the U.S. Marine Corps – which included a tour in Vietnam – he earned a masters in urban and regional planning at the University of Hawaii, and pursued a second career as Principal and Director of Environmental Consulting for Belt Collins and Associates, an engineering and planning company in Honolulu.

Now retired, Goody consults part-time, while also volunteering and advocating for numerous planning and environmental causes. Closest to his heart includes a position on the Hawaiian Bicycling League’s board of directors, where he advocates for bike and pedestrian safety. In his free time, Goody enjoys surf skiing, outrigger canoe paddling, cycling and spending time with his wife of forty years, two grown sons and two grandchildren.

“Our family tree will always reach from the east coast – especially to Delaware, where my grandfather’s farm will soon be protected with the conservation easement we are pursuing with The Nature Conservancy,” concludes Goody. “But Hawaii is home.”