Douglas G. Pinkham is past president of the Public Affairs Council, the leading international association for public affairs professionals, and a well-known expert on business and politics. He retired in January 2025 after serving as president and CEO for 28 years. Founded in 1954, the Council is a non-partisan, non-political association that provides executive education, “best practice” information, research, and thought leadership to public affairs and communications professionals working at major companies, associations, and other nonprofit organizations.

Prior to joining the Council, Doug was vice president of communications for the American Gas Association (AGA), a major trade association representing natural gas distribution companies.

Doug is a frequent speaker and writer on public affairs issues, politics, communications, and corporate management. He has been interviewed and quoted widely in the U.S. and international news media. Each June he serves as a faculty member for the Corporate Public Affairs Executive Education Institute in Melbourne, Australia — a week-long leadership program sponsored by the Centre for Corporate Public Affairs.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Doug graduated with honors from the College of Wooster in Ohio. While at Wooster, he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa society. He currently serves on the board of the Institute for Public Relations and previously served on the boards of the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, the European Centre for Public Affairs, and the Center for Ethics in Government.