John R. Killacky is currently a legislator in the Vermont House of Representatives. Previiously, he served as Executive Director of Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Program Officer for Arts and Culture for The San Francisco Foundation, Executive Director of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and Curator of Performing Arts for the Walker Art Center. Other past positions include Program Officer at the Pew Charitable Trusts, General Manager of PepsiCo SUMMERFARE, and Managing Director of the Trisha Brown and Laura Dean dance companies.

He received the First Bank Award Sally Ordway Irvine Award in Artistic Vision; the William Dawson Award for Programming Excellence from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters; Dance USA's Earnie Award as an "unsung hero;" the Fan Taylor Distinguished Service Award for Exemplary Service to the Field of Professional Presenting from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters; and the Margaret L. (Peggy) Kannenstine Award for Arts Advocacy. Mr. Killacky has served as a panelist, lecturer, and consultant for a broad range of arts and funding organizations. He has written numerous publications on the arts, and written and directed several award winning short films and videos.