John Earnhardt has more than 30 years of experience at the intersection of media, politics, and technology. He began his career in Washington, D.C., working for then–U.S. Senator Joe Biden, and later served as a media staffer on the 1996 re-election campaign of President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. Following campaign work, he joined the National Association of Broadcasters, managing media relations, before moving to Cisco in 1999 to support CEO John Chambers.
At Cisco, John held multiple leadership roles in communications, including managing corporate public relations and launching the company’s pioneering social media and “brand journalism” programs. He guided the corporate PR team through Chambers’ CEO succession before joining Visa as Vice President of Corporate Communications. At Visa, he led C-suite communications, financial media relations, content strategy, crisis and issues management, and financial literacy programs across the U.S. and Canada.
Since his time at Visa, John has advised organizations in venture capital, artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, networking, and other high-tech sectors. His consulting work has emphasized executive visibility, earnings and transition communications, and high-impact media training, helping clients secure coverage across leading business, consumer, and trade outlets.
John currently serves on the Martis Camp Foundation Board in Truckee, California, and the Wake Forest University Board of Visitors in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He is also the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of a start-up in the sports science industry.
A dedicated supporter of education and community service, John previously served on his local public school board and coached middle school basketball. His long-standing pro bono client is his wife, a former start-up and public company CEO now with a Fortune 100 healthcare company. John earned his B.A. in English from Wake Forest University, where he was also a walk-on member of the men’s tennis team. He is the proud father of a college freshman.
