John is the Vice President of Development and Communications at Chrysalis and has been on the Project Angel Food Board of Directors since 2018.

Previously, John was the Associate Dean for External Affairs at the UCLA School of Law, one of nation’s top-ranked Law Schools. His career in institutional advancement includes nine years at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and five at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. At USC, he also served as an adjunct faculty, teaching in the School’s Masters in Public Administration and Nonprofit Leadership and Management programs.  

Sonego has extensive experience in nonprofit advocacy, having served as the Director of Programs and Communications at GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), where he was instrumental in the effort to persuade the New York Times to include same-sex couples in their Weddings and Celebrations section. In the early days of the AIDS crisis, he was one of the founders of Detroit’s Steppin’ Out AIDS Walk, which continues today.

Sonego is an active community volunteer. In addition to his service on the board of directors of Project Angel Food, he serves on the Advisory Board for the Geffen Playhouse and on the Board of Trustees for the Hollywood Schoolhouse. He was also appointed by LA Mayor Eric Garcetti to serve as a Commissioner to the Local Government Services Commission of Los Angeles County.

He is the author of My Three Sons: The Birth of a New Family, which chronicled his adoption of three brothers who had been in foster care, and of In the Belly of the Fish: A Study in the Book of Jonah.