John Van Citters
John Dodge Vancitters , going through life by the name "John Van Citters", was the developer of the Starfleet Operations Manual supplement to the , which was published in 2003 by Decipher in conjunction with Paramount Pictures Product Development, his first recorded involvement with the Star Trek franchise.

Van Citters became from 2006 onward Vice President, Product Development at CBS Consumer Products, managing licensed publications, which included the plethora of Star Trek merchandise, and frequently seen promoting these at Comic-cons and Star Trek conventions, causing him to become de facto recognized as the official face of the Star Trek franchise. Perceived by many Star Trek affiliated staffers as a very Star Trek friendly studio executive, Van Citters has been frequently acknowledged by authors in licensed reference books, such as the 2010 USS Enterprise Owners' Workshop Manual (p. 160). He is particularly valued by Ben Robinson, project manager of the British Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection and Star Trek: Discovery The Official Starships Collection, for his unwavering support for his partwork publications.  As if to underscore the Star Trek friendly reputation he has gained, it was Van Citters who became the driving force behind the decision to commission an updated fourth edition print version of the , released in 2016 as part of Star Treks 50th anniversary, pleasantly surprising fans and authors alike, who never expected to see an updated Encyclopedia print version again in the digital age. (, 4th ed., introduction)

On behalf of the studio, Van Citters was in November 2014 invited to become a consultant of a team of experts – which included a host of Star Trek alumni – to oversee a new restoration of the original eleven-foot Enterprise studio model, residing at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, for its 50th anniversary.  Having accepted the prestigious assignment, Van Citters was flown in in May 2015 for the team's first work meeting on 13 May. 

In December 2018, Van Citters was promoted to the position of Vice President Star Trek Brand Management at CBS Broadcasting, Global Franchise Management. This new position entails "working on content development and new brand initiatives ranging from original fiction to gaming to online content and live events. Creative liaison to writers rooms and production teams across the Star Trek brand. 

, John Van Citters Raymond, and the Van Citters Physics Review all appear to be named for after him.

Career outside Star Trek
Hailing from Florida, John Van Citters attended, from 1983–1987, the University of South Carolina-Columbia, graduating as Bachelor of Arts, Broadcast Journalism. His first recorded professional employment was as a production assistant on the 1992 television movies Afterburn and The Fear Inside, the latter of which was produced by Viacom Productions, part of the  conglomerate and at the time holding company of Paramount Pictures.

In November 1998, Van Citters returned to Viacom, but now as Manager, Product Development for Viacom Consumer Products, where he had his first brush with the Star Trek franchise. In December 2005, it was decided to split up the old Viacom into two independent companies; the television company CBS Corporation and the movie company (new) . On that occasion, Van Citters decided to throw in his lot with CBS.

External links 
 
 John Van Citters at Linkedin.com
 

Star Trek game authors
Studio executives
Merchandise staff