John Beilenson founded Strategic Communications & Planning in New York City in 1987. He has led the company since then, providing consulting, editorial, and training services to a wide range of nonprofit organizations and public institutions.

Between 1997 and 1999, he also served as Senior Associate at Millennium Communications Group in Washington, DC, where he consulted to educational and other nonprofit organizations and associations around the country.

In addition to his consulting, Beilenson has been an instructor in Communications Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where he taught "Public Speaking" and the "Rhetoric of Social Movements."

He founded and directed the Youth Voice Project, a federally-funded initiative to promote young people's leadership of national and community service organizations.

Beilenson also developed and co-directed the North Carolina Media Institute, which trains grass-roots environmental activists in advocacy and communications skills.

Beilenson began his career working in New York City government, where he served as Director of Public Affairs for the Department of Juvenile Justice and Public Affairs Manager for the City Volunteer Corps. Beilenson is the author of "Balancing Custody and Care", a resource book on juvenile detention services, and "A Good Place for Children," a guide to court-based children's centers.

He has written 18 books for Peter Pauper Press, including his latest, The Future Me: Authoring the Second Half of Your Life, an interactive journal for people considering retirement and other transitions in later life. He has also contributed to several national magazines and journals, including Social Policy and Sports Illustrated.

Beilenson has an AB in history and literature from Harvard University and an MA in communications studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is currently chair of the board of directors of Surrey Services, a board member of City Year Greater Philadelphia, a board advisor to Generations Online, and a trustee of the Old Eagle School in Strafford, PA.