Known internationally as "the father of telecommuting and telework," Jack Nilles was educated as a physicist, heading the preliminary design of several space vehicles and communications systems for the U.S. Air Force and NASA. During this period he was a consultant to President Kennedy’s and Johnson’s Science Advisory Council, the National Science Foundation and other federal departments. Later, he joined the University of Southern California as Director for Interdisciplinary Research and began his formal research on telecommuting and teleworking, terms he coined in 1973. With USC’s Center for Futures Research he led a number of studies of the present and future impacts of information technology and created the standards by which major telecommuting projects are judged.

Nilles is the author of five books, including The Telecommunications-Transportation Tradeoff, the original book on telecommuting, as well as dozens of chapters of books, professional papers and articles. His 1994 book, Making Telecommuting Happen, is a complete how-to-do-it manual for telework program development and management. It is often called "the Bible of telecommuting." His latest book, titled Managing Telework, was published in the summer of 1998.

In 1993, he received the Environmental Pride Award for his contributions toward improving the air quality of Los Angeles, and, from 1994 to 1996, has received awards for his work in environmental sustainability from Renew America. In 1997 he received a special commendation form the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for his work in improving the environment and easing traffic congestion in the region. In 1998 he was the first inductee of the Telework Hall of Fame, sponsored by the International Telework Association. He regularly appears on television and gives speeches and workshops on telework all over the world.