In November 2024, president-elect Donald Trump announced Phelan as his nominee for United States Secretary of the Navy.
[1] Phelan earned a bachelor's degree in economics and political science from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas in 1986,[2] and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1990.
[3] Phelan is the co-founder and chairman of Rugger Management LLC, a private investment company based in Palm Beach, Florida.
[2] In 2000, Phelan met his future wife Amy, then a management services and systems engineering consultant in Dallas, on a blind date.
[5] In August 2024, John and Amy Phelan hosted a private fundraising dinner for Trump at their $38 million home in Aspen, Colorado, with guests including Steve Wynn, Thomas Peterffy, Greg Abbott, Byron Donalds, Lauren Boebert and Cory Gardner.