John Bates is the Outreach Manager at The Herald Group, where he works to maintain and grow the firm’s associations with third parties in both the think tank and academic spheres of influence.

Prior to joining The Herald Group, John was a Legislative and Communications Director for a Maryland state senator overseeing all policy and communication initiatives for the office. He also assisted in passing several pieces of bipartisan legislation dealing with criminal justice reform and protecting children in the state’s social services programs. Before working in the state senate, he worked on the senator’s successful campaign and served as a legislative aide in the Maryland House of Delegates. He also worked in communications at a public policy think tank in addition to completing an intensive public policy journalism training program.

John graduated from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication, with a focus on Public Relations and a minor in Political Science.