# John P. Lonsdorf

> John P. Lonsdorf is the co-founder and CEO Emeritus of R&J Strategic Communications. A former English teacher and William Paterson graduate, he co-founded the agency in 1986, received New Jersey Advertising Hall of Fame recognition in 2019 and an NJBIZ ICON Award in 2020, and stepped back from active business involvement in 2024. He continues to publish reflections on communications and the agency’s history.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO Emeritus at R&J Strategic Communications
- **Organizations:** R&J Strategic Communications, Landmark Advertising, William Paterson University Foundation, New Jersey Association of Advertising Agencies, Advertising Club of New Jersey
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in communication; teaching certifications in English, elementary education, and speech arts and dramatics, William Paterson University
- **Known for:** Inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame of New Jersey in 2019., Received an NJBIZ ICON Award in 2020., Co-founded the agency that became R&J Strategic Communications in 1986.

## Career timeline

- **1979** — Graduated from William Paterson; began teaching middle-school English in Hope, New Jersey.
- **1986** — Co-founded Roberts & John Advertising and Public Relations with Bob Gagauf and Bob Wille on April 6.
- **1994** — R&J represented Somerset Hills Hotel during Italy’s World Cup stay.
- **1999** — Scott Marioni joined the agency.
- **2001** — Agency rebranded as R&J Group.
- **2005** — Lonsdorf and Marioni became partners; agency rebranded as R&J Public Relations.
- **2015** — Agency adopted the R&J Strategic Communications name.
- **2019** — Inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame of New Jersey.
- **2020** — Received the NJBIZ ICON Award.
- **2024** — Stepped back from active business involvement; operations passed to Scott Marioni and Tiffany Miller.
- **2026** — Contributed essays during the agency’s 40th anniversary year.

## Achievements

- Inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame of New Jersey in 2019.
- Received an NJBIZ ICON Award in 2020.
- Co-founded the agency that became R&J Strategic Communications in 1986.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Published a retrospective about R&J’s work for Somerset Hills Hotel during the 1994 World Cup on October 15.
- **2026-05** — Published a reflection on the agency’s 1993-1999 expansion and digital changes on May 27.
- **2026-04** — Published a founding-era reflection as R&J marked its 40th anniversary on April 6.

## Links

- Website: https://www.randjsc.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlonsdorf/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-p-lonsdorf
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22