Governor John Cano, left; First Gentleman Howard Morrison, right
John M. Cano, 110th District Governor
John Cano of Austin, TX, was elected to a one-year term as governor-elect of the Texas-Oklahoma District of Kiwanis International during the 2024 District Convention in Tahlequah, OK and will take office as District Governor on October 1, 2025.
A Kiwanis-family member since 2004, Cano is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Silicon Hills, for which he has served as a distinguished president, numerous committees, and is currently the club secretary.
Cano has also served Kiwanis in leadership positions beyond the club level. He has been a lieutenant governor for Division 24 and Trustee for Region 10. In addition, Cano served 7 terms on the district’s Kiwanis Committee on CKI as assistant administrator for finance and IT.
As a donor to the Kiwanis Children’s Fund, Cano is a Presidential Walter Zeller Fellow, a member of the Kiwanis Children’s Fund Heritage Society, and the CKI Carthage-Pullman Society member. As a donor to the Texas-Oklahoma Kiwanis Foundation, he is a Cornerstone Patron of the CKI Legacy Fund and a member of the Legacy Society.
A ninth-generation descendant of Antonio Gil Y’Barbo, founder of Nacogdoches, John has deep Tejano roots in Texas in both East Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. He was born and raised most of his childhood in Victoria, TX, spent a few years growing up in LaPlace, LA, and graduated from Victoria Memorial High School. He attained his bachelor’s degree in history from The University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in management from Wake Forest University.
Cano has worked for The University of Texas at Austin since 2016 and is currently a Senior IT Manager overseeing a team of six analysts responsible for maintenance and enhancement of the systems that process payroll, payroll accounting, timekeeping and absence management, and benefits administration for the University’s ~27,000 faculty and staff.
John and his partner Howard have been together since 2020 and try to split their time between visiting family and friends in Texas and Williamstown, MA. When they’re not busy with work and Kiwanis, they can usually be found at a concert, play, musical, music festival, the movie theater, or on the couch catching up on one of their many favorite streaming shows. John also enjoys gardening, hiking, genealogy, and yoga in his free time.
7 Key Priorities
Fulfill the district’s primary purpose of helping Kiwanis clubs and Kiwanis International advance the Objects, objectives, policies and strategic goals of Kiwanis, and specifically to cooperate with Kiwanis International in:
Building new clubs and strengthening existing clubs;
Delivering education to clubs; and
Delivering service leadership programs (SLPs) and global campaign for children programming to and through clubs.
Support our district SLPs with increased investment, including raising funds for the T-O CKI Legacy Fund as well as reactivation of Key Leader to develop young leaders.
Streamline our administration and operations by leveraging technology and process improvement.
Recruit and develop future leaders for the district.
Participate in the Kiwanis Voices pilot program by identifying at least two sites where the concept can be most effective.
Share our Kiwanis story by increasing club reporting and producing the district annual report.
Expand the depth and breadth of our district’s service initiatives around disaster preparedness, relief, and recovery as well as coloring, activity, and reading booklets for children.
District Growth Goals
Open 15 new clubs with 20 as a stretch goal
Total membership of new clubs will add at least 450 members
2025-2026 District Governor
John M. Cano, 110th District Governor
John Cano of Austin, TX, was elected to a one-year term as governor-elect of the Texas-Oklahoma District of Kiwanis International during the 2024 District Convention in Tahlequah, OK and will take office as District Governor on October 1, 2025.
A Kiwanis-family member since 2004, Cano is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Silicon Hills, for which he has served as a distinguished president, numerous committees, and is currently the club secretary.
Cano has also served Kiwanis in leadership positions beyond the club level. He has been a lieutenant governor for Division 24 and Trustee for Region 10. In addition, Cano served 7 terms on the district’s Kiwanis Committee on CKI as assistant administrator for finance and IT.
As a donor to the Kiwanis Children’s Fund, Cano is a Presidential Walter Zeller Fellow, a member of the Kiwanis Children’s Fund Heritage Society, and the CKI Carthage-Pullman Society member. As a donor to the Texas-Oklahoma Kiwanis Foundation, he is a Cornerstone Patron of the CKI Legacy Fund and a member of the Legacy Society.
A ninth-generation descendant of Antonio Gil Y’Barbo, founder of Nacogdoches, John has deep Tejano roots in Texas in both East Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. He was born and raised most of his childhood in Victoria, TX, spent a few years growing up in LaPlace, LA, and graduated from Victoria Memorial High School. He attained his bachelor’s degree in history from The University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in management from Wake Forest University.
Cano has worked for The University of Texas at Austin since 2016 and is currently a Senior IT Manager overseeing a team of six analysts responsible for maintenance and enhancement of the systems that process payroll, payroll accounting, timekeeping and absence management, and benefits administration for the University’s ~27,000 faculty and staff.
John and his partner Howard have been together since 2020 and try to split their time between visiting family and friends in Texas and Williamstown, MA. When they’re not busy with work and Kiwanis, they can usually be found at a concert, play, musical, music festival, the movie theater, or on the couch catching up on one of their many favorite streaming shows. John also enjoys gardening, hiking, genealogy, and yoga in his free time.
7 Key Priorities
through clubs.
District Growth Goals