John Gallagher is the Executive Director of Model UN Academy, the world’s largest youth-led educational Model UN nonprofit, which has provided free, original resources to over 16,000 students from 230 high schools across 48 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and 36 countries. These resources have been translated into 104 languages—totaling 1,300,000 words. John authored the Model UN resource examples and is currently leading the development of the Model UN Academy Fellowship.

John has actively participated in a wide range of Model UN conferences at the local, national, and international levels, earning recognition for his excellence in diplomacy, public speaking, and writing. He is deeply committed to the principles of diplomacy, thorough research, and collaborative problem-solving. Through his involvement, John aspires to inspire the next generation of leaders to discover their voice, engage meaningfully with global challenges, and lead with empathy and purpose.

Model UN Experience

John is an Executive Board Member of Hinsdale Central High School's 114-person Model UN program. He has participated in Model UN since 2023, attended 8 conferences (4-time international qualifier), and earned 6 awards (2 national and 4 international).

John is the Head Backroom Crisis Chair for DuPage Model United Nations (DUMUN), a DuPage County-wide Model UN conference, nonprofit, and partner of UNA-Chicago. DUMUN I hosted 74 middle/high school delegates and raised $5,150 for the UNHCR and the WHO. The inaugural conference was featured on WBEZ Chicago, UNA-Chicago News, The Hinsdalean, Hinsdale Magazine, and Hinsdale Township District 86 News and aggregated by Apple News, Google News, Yahoo News, and Newsbreak. It also received a Letter of Recognition from United States Senator Tammy Duckworth and a State of Illinois Proclamation from Governor JB Pritzker.