John Dickson has been the chief operations officer of Spokane County, Wash., since March 2013. Previously, he worked for the military side of Boeing for over 20 years on programs including Sea Launch, the B-2 bomber and the F-22 Raptor. He left Boeing in 2006 to become the general manager of Berg Integrated Systems, a start-up company in Plummer, Idaho, that fabricated large fuel bladders and expandable shelters for the U.S. Army.
Dickson's government career began in 2010 when he was named the Washington State Employment Security Department's regional area director overseeing the WorkSource Spokane Employment Center. He also has been a Dale Carnegie leadership trainer since 2003.