When John Snelson was just six years old, his family brought home their very first computer. His first instinct was to “get to work breaking it.” Soon enough, though, his curiosity took him much further, as he began learning how to fix his own mistakes.

That early interest sparked a lifelong passion for computers and problem-solving.

By high school, John was already taking programming classes. After graduation, he started with Utah Valley State College (now University) in their Computer Services department before pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at the University of Illinois Springfield, focusing on System Security and Information Assurance.

Today, that same sense of drive and determination has brought John to INB, where he’s stepping into the role of Vice President and Director of Information Security.

“INB has a fantastic story and has served the community for years. I’m not just an employee – I’m also a customer,” John says.

From Breaking Computers to Building Security

Although John was born in the St. Louis area, his family moved to Pekin when he was very young. Over the years, he’s lived in Pontiac, Marion, and Springfield. But when he and his wife were expecting their daughter, they decided to return to Pekin to be near family.

“My wife was born and raised there, and we wanted to be closer to grandparents as we started raising kids,” John explains.

John’s career in information security began at the law firm Heyl Royster Voelker & Allen. From there, he joined Caterpillar’s Computer Security Incident Response Team, then worked for Sophos in their Managed Threat Response group, and eventually returned to Caterpillar as Team Lead of their Security Operations Center.

Juggling It All Online and Offline

While his career has been focused on tackling complex security challenges, John also makes space for balance and relaxation in his personal life. Outside of work, you’ll often find him on the water.

“I like to fish and kayak, so most weekends you can find me and part of – if not all – my family on the lake,” he shares. “I have several friends with the same hobby, and once or twice a year, we get together for a camping/fishing trip.” 

And as a true Illinois native, John is a proud Chicago Bears fan.

At home, life is lively too. John and his wife have a daughter and a son, as well as a household full of pets that could rival a small zoo: two pitbull mixes who are “absolute clowns,” a cat who “seems to rule the house,” fish for John, a couple of gerbils for his daughter, and his wife recently added Madagascar hissing cockroaches to the mix.

Managing this energetic household has certainly honed his problem-solving and chaos-minimizing skills! We know these will be useful traits for someone tasked with safeguarding information in an ever-evolving digital landscape, and we’re excited to welcome John to INB.

“I always look forward to challenges, and Information Security never fails to provide a shifting landscape with new opportunities,” he says.