John Guilfoil is the Founder and Owner of JGPR, launching the public relations firm in 2013 to support media relations for police and fire departments during a crisis. Over time, the company has expanded to include school districts, public health agencies, public works, state/county agencies and whole municipal governments, as well as non-profits and a selective roster of business and pro-bono clients.
John has been honored globally for his work on behalf of JGPR’s clients. In 2015 and 2016 he was named the U.S. National Public Affairs Professional of the Year by the public relations industry trade association PR News. The same organization also named him the 2016 National Crisis Manager of the Year, and later, one of the industry’s 50 Game Changers of Public Relations in 2017, as well as one of PR News’ PR People of the Year in 2020 and 2023.
John’s interest in public safety began at a young age—his father is a retired firefighter, and his serves on the same department in Connecticut. John holds two bachelor’s degrees: in journalism (B.A.) and criminal justice (B.S.) with a concentration in policing studies, both from Northeastern University, and he has a Master of Arts Degree in Journalism from Emerson College.
John is a former journalist who started at the Boston Globe in 2006 as a Northeastern co-op student. He worked his way onto the newspaper’s staff as a general assignment reporter. He left after 2011 to become Deputy Press Secretary to legendary Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.
In 2023, JGPR received global recognition, winning in the category of Crisis and Issues Management at the ICCO Global Awards ceremony in London, for JGPR’s work with a municipal police department managing a severe police misconduct case and working to rebuild public trust.
John teaches journalism and public relations at Northeastern University and Lasell University. He has been an adjunct professor since 2010 and he has conducted paid training courses for police, fire, education, public health and government leaders in all 50 states and throughout Canada.