John E. Twomey is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Radio and Television Arts at Ryerson University. Twomey was born in Chicago and earned an MA in Communications from the University of Chicago. From 1958 to 1966, he worked as a writer and producer in the schools and youth department of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Follwing this, he worked as a media consultant for the United Church and as a project officer for the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). He began his career at Ryerson in 1969 when was appointed Chairman of the School of Radio and Television Arts, a position he held until 1977. He was the station manager at Ryerson's CJRT-FM Radio beginning in 1972 and was appointed as the "Ryerson Member" of CJRT-FM Inc. board in 1976. He was a member of the Canadian Advertising Advisory Board circa 1973, served as the executive director of the Children's Broadcast Institute circa 1981, and co-founded the Association for the Study of Canadian Radio and Television. Twomey retired to Emeritus status in 1989, but remained involved with Ryerson's Life Institute for Senior Students. In 2010, Twomey received the Dennis Mock Student Leadership Award in recognition of his leadership role as a lecturer, student and board member of Life Institute.