Jack Wayne Zunino was born July 13, 1948, in Elko, Nevada to John Wilson Zunino and Loretta Yvette Hansen. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Utah and a master's degree in landscape architecture and environmental panning from Utah State University. In 1989, Zunino established JW Zunino Landscape Architecture, a firm that became a cornerstone of landscape design in the Southwest.