John Davies

Founder and CEO Davies Public Affairs

  • Santa Barbara CA

One of the nation's most respected communication strategists & an expert on building grassroots public support for controversial issues.

Contact

Media

Social

Biography

As one of the nations leading grassroots and community relations strategists, John provides clients with more than 28 years of public affairs expertise backed and a near flawless success rate in navigating and winning approval for controversial projects. John has grown Davies to become one of the nation’s top 25 public relations firms, by applying precise implementation of thoughtful and innovative strategies, compelling messages and flawless execution, thereby changing public perception. Clearly understanding the business of persuasion, John is constantly searching for trends and methods to earn attention and gain influence in today’s complex information-saturated decision-making process.

The growth of Davies into a national powerhouse firm was never the goal, but the by-product of attracting the best talent to provide creative excellence; ensuring clients’ obtain desired results in tough, defining issues. The firm has won hundreds of awards for its campaigns and creative work, including Best Public Affairs Campaign in 2010 by Campaigns & Elections Magazine, and for the last six years has been named the Best Agency to Work For by the Holmes Report. With clients in 47 states Davies has offices in Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Santa Barbara.

John is a sought-after speaker on perception, persuasion, public affairs, and communication tactics. He is a founding board member of a National Bank, has served as Chair of the University of California’s Economic Forecast Project, President of the nation’s largest scholarship foundation, and with a group of friends has been purchasing upper-middle-class homes in South Africa to provide healthcare, education and a bright future to HIV-positive orphans.

Industry Expertise

Public Relations and Communications
Real Estate Dev/Ops
Mining and Metals

Areas of Expertise

Crisis Communications
Perception
Persuasion
Public Affairs
Communication Tactics
Strategic Communications and Grassroots Programs
Building Public Support for Controversial Projects and Issues

Education

State University of New York

Journalism

Political Science & Economics

1976

Affiliations

  • Public Affairs Council
  • Acres of Love

Event Appearances

The Art of Crafting and Delivering a Persuasive Message

The Art of Political Campaigning  Washington, D.C.

2011-06-16

How to Overcome NIMBY Opponents to Accelerate the Mine Permitting and Siting Process.

Northwest Mining Association Annual Meeting  Reno, NV

2011-11-28

Strategic Communications - How to overcome environmentalists, native tribe, and Not-In-My Backyard (NIMBY) Opponents to accelerate the mine permitting and siting process

Montana Mining Association Annual Meeting  Butte, Montana

2011-05-25

Show All +

Sample Talks

Strategic Communications & Grassroots - How to overcome opposition to get controversial projects approved.

John Davies, CEO of Davies Public Affairs and a nationally acclaimed speaker on public persuasion, will use a dynamic multi-media and interactive presentation to discuss how to build public support and overcome opposition to get controversial projects approved in this transparent, 24/7 news cycle, and Internet/social media driven society.

How to Overcome NIMBY Opposition for Storage and Disposal of Fly Ash

Learn the psychology of NIMBYs, their value system, their fears & aspirations from one of the nation’s leading communications experts. Almost every proposed fly ash storage facility- landfills or storage ponds- runs into some form of opposition. In today’s highly connected, transparent world, environmental planners & disposal managers must be prepared with a strategic communication & a community relations plan to avoid a controversial, costly, & uncertain public review & siting process.

Telling Your Story

Storytelling is a key strategy for conveying your policy positions. Gain insights on becoming an effective storyteller and capturing the attention of your audience.

Show All +

Style

Availability

  • Keynote
  • Panelist
  • Author Appearance