Jon Holtzman grew up in Indiana and graduated from Indiana University with BA and MA degrees in journalism. He served three years as an H-13 pilot with the 24th Infantry Division in Augsburg Germany. He has worked as editor of a weekly newspaper in Oregon, in public relations with ALCOA for 15 years, and as VP of communications for the Chemical Manufacturers Association in Washington. He retired to Big Sky, Montana in 1998, chaired the local school board, a growth and development committee for the resort area, a celebrity golf tournament for Big Brothers Big Sisters, and founded the Gallatin Valley Task Force, a river watch environmental group. He and his wife Sharon moved to Reynolds in 2014. Their daughter and grandsons live in Atlanta.