John Riley is an award-winning author who grew up with Ed “Porky” Oliver’s family in Wilmington, Delaware. He spent most of his career as a public affairs executive. Since retiring in 2016, Riley has devoted himself to writing and to various roles in golf, such as supporting the First Tee and the BMW Championship, which funds the Evans Scholars Foundation. He is a past recipient of the annual award of the Delaware State Golf Association for contributions to the game of golf. Riley is a graduate of the University of Delaware, where he captained the golf team.
John retired in 2016 after leading government relations for two global corporations. He has also served in various economic development roles including interim CEO of the Delaware Prosperity Partnership. He has been a contributor to Town Square Delaware and other publications since 2012 and in 2017 joined former Philadelphia Eagle Kevin Reilly as co-author of his book, Tackling Life. John is an Army veteran and continues to be active in veterans’ affairs. As a board member and past chairman of Easterseals Delmarva, he has been a leader on disability issues for two decades. John and his wife, Sharon, live in Wilmington. They have three children and seven grandchildren.
