About John Ellett
Board of Directors, Founder - The First Tee of Greater Austin

John Ellett is CEO of nFusion Group, LLC, an Austin-based marketing services firm, and a founding director of the First Tee of Greater Austin. He is a passionate believer in the human potential to achieve remarkable things together when they have common goals and the determination to persevere through challenging times. In addition to co-founding  nFusion and The First Tee, John also co-founded Austin Helps Helps Honduras, the Youth 360 Alliance and The Ellett Group. He applied his leadership skills as a marketing executive at Dell to help the company grow from a 200 person early-stage company to a multi-billion dollar global leader. He is also a happy husband, a proud father, a frustrated golfer and a slow, but persistent, triathlete.

Which of your personal traits is most important in making you a good leader?
I believe three of The First Tee's nine core values have been very important in my leadership approach over the past several years. Confidence (belief in myself and those on my team); Perseverance (the determination to forge ahead in spite of challenges); Integrity (always acting in a way that builds trust in me and in my organization).
What are the key things you would counsel someone coming into the workforce?
Do something that you are passionate about and are good at. Then work doesn't seem like work. Plus, you will be both successful and enjoy the work you do.
What is the most significant issue that you would like to solve?
Helping young people realize their full potential. The path for a better community will be built upon the hopes and dreams of our youth. If they believe that there can be a better tomorrow and have the skills and confidence to shape their future in a positive way, we will all be bettter off.
Do you want to "Keep Austin Weird"? If so, why?
I get to travel all over the country and it is fun to talk about why Austin is such a great place to live. It is weird in a good way. It is accepting of being different. It celebrates being unique. And it rewards those who take the risk of starting something new. Let's hope we never lose those qualities.
What book or movie character do you most identify with?
I love Indiana Jones' sense of adventure and pursuit of the quest. He is not immune to challenges but always seems to find a way out of his predicament. And he has fun along the way.