John
Zelezny is a lawyer and communications executive, a
former university professor, and the author of popular textbooks
on communications law. His 30-year career is split between
academia and the professional communications world.
He began as a small-town newspaper reporter
in the 1970s, later taught media law, journalism and public
relations at three universities, and today serves as a corporate
senior vice president for communications in central California.
Along the way Zelezny has taught some 3,000 students, authored
complex First Amendment problems for statewide law-school
competitions, authored five editions of his textbooks, hosted
a CBS 60 Minutes investigation, ghost-written many newspaper
op-ed columns, provided countless media interviews, and advised
public agencies, CEOs and governing boards on communications
strategy.
He is a former chairman of the mass communication
and journalism department at California State University,
Fresno, and during his academic career spanning three universities
he taught some 15 different undergraduate and graduate-level
course titles. Zelezny is a frequent speaker on the U.S. Constitution's
First Amendment and related communications-law topics at writers
conferences, before civic and professional organizations,
and at universities.
In addition, John has been a lifelong fitness
buff. In 1995 he was featured in Muscular
Development magazine when he performed 1,000 push-ups
and 1,000 chins in one hour and 17 minutes, a world record.
