John Grubb

John Grubb is Chief Operating Officer at the Bay Area Council.

John is responsible for the organization’s government relations, public policy, advocacy and China operations. The Bay Area Council is the voice of the San Francisco-Silicon Valley Bay Area’s largest companies. Each year, Mr. Grubb is tasked with implementing the annual vision of improvements for the Bay Area developed by the CEOs of these companies. He works with a staff of professionals in five offices in California and China to formulate and execute many of the Council’s successful advocacy campaigns that have improved the lives of millions of Bay Area residents. John’s previous positions with the Council include Senior Vice President of External Affairs and Vice President of Communications.

Before joining the Bay Area Council, John worked at Hill and Knowlton and Porter Novelli, two of the world’s largest public relations agencies. Prior to his communications work, he founded, owned and managed a bar and restaurant in Manual Antonio, Costa Rica. His best selling drink was a coconut margarita, and to this day he has not revealed his secret recipe.

John volunteers his time as Chair of the Sleepy Hollow Charitable Foundation. He is a former Chair of the SF Public Relations Round Table (the oldest PR organization in America), and has served on the Executive Committee or as Campaign Director on numerous ballot measure campaigns. A Vanderbilt University graduate.