John M. Dobson was born in New Mexico. As a boy, John lived with his family in the American Southwest and later in Egypt and Turkey. He returned to the United States for college at MIT and a doctorate in U.S. history at the University of Wisconsin. His career led him from the U.S. State Department to a number of colleges and universities, where he taught history and also served as an administrator. He now leads MIT alumni tour groups around the world as a lecturer, including destinations such as China, Egypt, Turkey, Antarctica, the Baltic States, and the Black Sea. He lives with his wife Cynthia in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he is an active member of the Council on Foreign Relations.