The grandson of sustainable business pioneer and Interface Founder Ray Anderson, John Lanier is the executive director the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, created following Anderson's death in 2011. He is furthering the work of his grandfather by writing the rest of his story – literally and figuratively. Mid-Course Correction Revisited (Chelsea Green, May 2019) is a reissue of Ray’s 1998 book with an update on the company’s journey to sustainability, and new chapters by Lanier that capture the lessons learned from the Interface journey and the implications for this next generation in business and industry.

Lanier earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law, and he holds Bachelor of Arts Degrees in History and Economics from the University of Virginia. An Atlanta native, Lanier and his wife, Chantel, have two children, Joseph Ray (J.R.) and Cecilia.