John Volmink was born and raised in Cape Town South Africa. He started his academic career at the University of Western Cape, South Africa and completed the PhD in mathematics education at Cornell University, Ithaca NY in 1988. He held various teaching positions including the University of Western Cape, University of Cape Town and Cornell University. He returned to Southern Africa in 1990 after almost a decade in the USA.

After a brief stay at the University of Botswana in Gabarone he returned to South Africa in 1991 and immediately got involved in development initiatives as the Director of the Centre for Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education in Durban, South Africa as well as other partnership programmes in KwaZulu-Natal and elsewhere in South Africa. John later served as Pro-Vice Chancellor: Partnership at the University of KwaZulu-Natal until 2004. During his term at the University of KwaZulu-Natal he was responsible for partnership programmes with business, government and the community and served as the Executive Director of the Development Foundation of the University.

He has also been centrally involved in curriculum reform in post-apartheid South Africa and has been asked by the Minister of Education to play a leading role in the transformation of education in the new South Africa. John is the Chairperson of Umalusi Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training, a statutory organization which monitors and improves the quality of general and further education and training in South Africa. He is also the Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Cornerstone Christian College
John and his wife Engela, who is also a teacher, work together in voluntary community based educational projects in the Cape Town area with a focus on young people.

Currently Chairperson of the International Partnership Network (IPN) and also the Chairperson of the Board of a large South African publishing company, John continues to provide leadership on the Boards of several South African non-governmental development organisations involved in education, health and community upliftment.