John Tyson biography: 13 things about Harvard University alum from Springdale, Arkansas

Who is John R. Tyson?

John Randal Tyson is an American man from Springdale, Arkansas, United States. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and master’s degree in business administration from Stanford University in Stanford, California, USA.

Tyson is 2 years older than his sister Olivia Laine Tyson. Their great-grandfather John W. Tyson founded Tyson Foods in 1935 and died in Springdale on January 15, 1967 at age 61.

Olivia and John’s grandfather Donald J. Tyson was Tyson Foods’ chief executive officer and chairman from 1967 to 1991, chairman from 1991 to 1995 and senior chairman from 1995 to 2001. On January 6, 2011, Donald died in Fayetteville, Arkansas at age 80.

Aside from Springdale, John has lived in other parts of Arkansas including Washington. From 2000 to 2006, his father John H. Tyson was the Tyson Foods CEO.

John is a former resident of New York City, New York, USA. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. From September 2019 to January 2020, he was a lecturer at the Sam M. Walton College of Business of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
2. From September 2019 to October 2021, he was the Tyson Foods chief sustainability officer.
3. From March 2021 to June 2024, he was a Winrock International board member.
4. In June 2021, he joined the Council on Foreign Relations.
5. In October 2021, he became the executive vice president of Tyson Foods.
6. In April 2022, he joined the World Economic Forum.
7. On October 2, 2022, he became the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Tyson Foods. His annual base salary was $650,000.
8. On November 6, 2022, he was in Fayetteville and booked into the Washington County Jail in Fayetteville. He allegedly entered a home that was not his and found asleep on a bed by a woman who lived there. He was charged with public intoxication and criminal trespass and was released on bond on the same day.
9. In January 2023, he pleaded guilty to criminal trespassing and public intoxication.
10. On June 13, 2024, he was arrested by the University of Arkansas police in Fayetteville, charged with careless driving and making an illegal turn and released on a $1,105 bond.
11. On August 29, 2024, Tyson Foods appointed Curt Calaway as its interim CFO after his suspension from the company because of his arrest.
12. In October 2024, he was sentenced to pay $820 in fines and fees and to perform 32 hours of public service after pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated.
13. On March 9, 2025, he will turn 35.