P.J. Johnston, President

PJ Johnston is a communications consultant specializing in media and public relations, crisis communications, communication strategies, messaging, government affairs and political campaigning. He served as press secretary to Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr., and was chief public information officer for the City and County of San Francisco until January 2004. Johnston also served as director of communications for Willie Brown's 1999 re-election campaign, which resulted in a 20-point margin of victory. Johnston has served as a speechwriter and media consultant for several prominent elected officials, and is a highly regarded public speaker in his own right.

Commissioner Johnston created the San Francisco Poet Laureate Program.

Prior to his arrival at City Hall, Johnston was a journalist published in the San Jose Mercury News, the San Francisco Bay Guardian and the Eureka Times-Standard.

A fourth-generation San Franciscan, Johnston attended public schools and served as editor-in-chief of the award-winning student newspaper at California State University-Humboldt. After college, Johnston worked as features editor of the Tracy (Calif.) Press, where he also served as an award-winning film critic, political columnist, sportswriter and cartoonist.