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PROF. DR. STEVEN GUANPENG DONG
LLBPeking MASheffield MPhilCambridge PhDDurham CPRA
Professor of Media, Politics and Public PolicyDean, National Institute of Public Relations and Strategic CommunicationsCommunication University of China
Vice Chairman, China Public Relations Association (CPRA)
Vice Chairman, China Public Relations Association (CPRA)
Professor Steven Guanpeng Dong is a political scientist, communications scholar, public policy consultant, public and international speaker, corporate strategy advisor, board member of listed companies, and an elected leader of the world’s largest national association of public relations. Prof. Dong is currently Professor and Dean of the National Institute of Public Relations and Strategic Communications at the Communication University of China, a leading think-tank on the best communication practices in government and the big firms in China. He was the Provost for the Faculty of Professional Studies, Continuing Education and Executive Programs with responsibilities of managing four schools, six institutes and two centers of the University covering all aspects of professional training, executive development programs, distance learning, on-line MOOCs projects and international collaborative programs. He also served as the Dean, School of Government and Public Affairs, offering BA, MA, MPA and PhD programs through the School’s two departments and seven institutes and centers. The PhD program in State Governance and Political Communications is part of the University’s discipline cluster of Journalism and Communication, which is evaluated A+ for decades by the Ministry of Education.
Prior to his appointments at the CUC and the CPRA, Prof. Dong was a founding member of Tsinghua University’s School of Journalism and Communication under Dean and Congressman Professor Fan Jingyi, former Editor-in-chief of People’s Daily Group and Chairman of the National People’s Congress’ committee of Science, Education, Culture and Health. Prof. Dong successfully managed the School’s governmental and international affairs and fund-raising campaigns for the first 6 years. At Tsinghua, he was the Chair and Founding Director of Institute of Public Relations and Strategic Communications (IPRSC), as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Global Journalism Institute (GJI), a joint program run by Tsinghua and Thomson Reuters Foundation. Under his direction, GJI has worked with a number of leading global media organizations such as Reuters, BBC, Xinhua and China Central Television together to host over 30 international workshops and conferences in promoting the professional standard of global journalism and transparent governance in China. He also made Tsinghua University an internationally recognized teaching and research center of professional PR, supported by global leading agencies including Ogilvy, Hill & Knowlton, Ketchum, Porter Novelli and Blue Focus on joint programs. The Institute and School’s home building was named “Omnicom Building” by the top global PR and communications giant Omnicom Group.
In 2010, he was appointed the Joan Shorenstein Fellow on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and became the first Chinese political communications scholar to hold this prestigious fellowship since 1986. In 2018, he was appointed the Global Fellow of Innovations by the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Prof. Dong’s research interests and expertise involve the politics of media, international communications, public relations and strategic communications in politics and business. His comments appear in New York Times, Financial Times, Discovery Channel, BBC and leading Chinese national newspapers and CCTV. In addition, he has written articles and reviews for leading journals such as The World Policy Journal and edited, translated and authored books including Transparent Governance: Theory and Practice (2007), Managing Reputations for the Corporate World (2007), The Encyclopedia for Spokespersons (2006), Press Conference and Media Relations for the Government (2005), Mediated Politics (2011) , Public Speaking (2015), Strategic Communications for the NGOs in China (2019), From A Danger to Many Opportunities: Crisis Communications for Leadership (2020), Innovations in Health Communications: Government, Corporate and Social Efforts for Understandings of the Pandemic (2022 forthcoming).
Before his academic career, Prof. Dong was a presenter at the BBC World Service, and a news presenter for political news and international affairs on China Central Television (CCTV). As a journalist, he interviewed top leaders in various countries, transnational firms and policy institutes including a 30-minute intensive television interview with Chinese Premier Li Peng in 2002 and a globally televised open Q&A with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2003.
Prof. Dong has rich experience of serving in the Chinese government offices both at the local and national level as duty officials and important advisors. He was a large Northeastern city’s director-general of foreign trade and economic cooperation in 2002. Since 2001, he is among the first close advisors in China who trained senior leaders of the Party, Government and state-owned enterprises on strategic communications. There have been more than 50,000 leaders including senior officials, SOE presidents, spokespersons and government communications chiefs that have attended his lectures and seminars. He serves as key member of a number of senior advisory boards and expert committees of the State Council, including Planning and Evaluation Committee of the State Council Information Office, Advisors’ Committee of the State Council Ecology and Environment Protection, Communications Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Health, Expert Committee of the State Council Food Safety Commission, Communications Advisor to the State Food and Drug Administration, and special communication advisor for the SASAC and Ministry of Science and Technology. He participated in proposing several laws and regulations on media and communications including the State Council's Transparent Governance Act which was announced in May 2008 just before the Olympic Games. In December 2014, he was appointed a member of the Board of Advisor of Strategic Communications for the National People’s Supreme Court by His Excellency the First Great Judge Qiang Zhou.
Prof. Dong was appointed Member of the Expert Committee of National Response to the COVID-19 Command Central in January 2020 and he served as a senior communications advisor travelled with the National Government’s Steering Committee to Wuhan, Hubei Province, for 45 days during the most challenging period of the Pandemic.
Prof. Dong played important roles in strategic communications in the corporate world. He served as member of the Board at China Eastern Air Media and Julong Shares and was invited as the communications and public participation advisors for SinoPec, Lenovo, Shenhua, Alibaba, Cartier, TAL, Huaneng, AnSteel and Transfar.
Prof. Dong is widely regarded as one of influential leaders of the public relations, strategic communications and philanthropy in China. He was elected as Senior Deputy Secretary-General (2009) and Vice Chairman (2011 and 2020) of the China Public Relations Association (CPRA). He also won the election to be the Chairman of National Association of Public Relations Education in October 2021. In December 2021, Prof. Dong was announced a Senior Advisor of Public Relations, Beijing Organizing Committee of Winter Olympic Games 2022. Prof. Dong holds an LLB in Diplomatic Studies and Foreign Affairs Administration from Peking University, an MA in Political Communications from the University of Sheffield, an MPhil of Development Studies from the University of Cambridge and a PhD of East Asian Studies from the University of Durham.
Prior to his appointments at the CUC and the CPRA, Prof. Dong was a founding member of Tsinghua University’s School of Journalism and Communication under Dean and Congressman Professor Fan Jingyi, former Editor-in-chief of People’s Daily Group and Chairman of the National People’s Congress’ committee of Science, Education, Culture and Health. Prof. Dong successfully managed the School’s governmental and international affairs and fund-raising campaigns for the first 6 years. At Tsinghua, he was the Chair and Founding Director of Institute of Public Relations and Strategic Communications (IPRSC), as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Global Journalism Institute (GJI), a joint program run by Tsinghua and Thomson Reuters Foundation. Under his direction, GJI has worked with a number of leading global media organizations such as Reuters, BBC, Xinhua and China Central Television together to host over 30 international workshops and conferences in promoting the professional standard of global journalism and transparent governance in China. He also made Tsinghua University an internationally recognized teaching and research center of professional PR, supported by global leading agencies including Ogilvy, Hill & Knowlton, Ketchum, Porter Novelli and Blue Focus on joint programs. The Institute and School’s home building was named “Omnicom Building” by the top global PR and communications giant Omnicom Group.
In 2010, he was appointed the Joan Shorenstein Fellow on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and became the first Chinese political communications scholar to hold this prestigious fellowship since 1986. In 2018, he was appointed the Global Fellow of Innovations by the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Prof. Dong’s research interests and expertise involve the politics of media, international communications, public relations and strategic communications in politics and business. His comments appear in New York Times, Financial Times, Discovery Channel, BBC and leading Chinese national newspapers and CCTV. In addition, he has written articles and reviews for leading journals such as The World Policy Journal and edited, translated and authored books including Transparent Governance: Theory and Practice (2007), Managing Reputations for the Corporate World (2007), The Encyclopedia for Spokespersons (2006), Press Conference and Media Relations for the Government (2005), Mediated Politics (2011) , Public Speaking (2015), Strategic Communications for the NGOs in China (2019), From A Danger to Many Opportunities: Crisis Communications for Leadership (2020), Innovations in Health Communications: Government, Corporate and Social Efforts for Understandings of the Pandemic (2022 forthcoming).
Before his academic career, Prof. Dong was a presenter at the BBC World Service, and a news presenter for political news and international affairs on China Central Television (CCTV). As a journalist, he interviewed top leaders in various countries, transnational firms and policy institutes including a 30-minute intensive television interview with Chinese Premier Li Peng in 2002 and a globally televised open Q&A with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2003.
Prof. Dong has rich experience of serving in the Chinese government offices both at the local and national level as duty officials and important advisors. He was a large Northeastern city’s director-general of foreign trade and economic cooperation in 2002. Since 2001, he is among the first close advisors in China who trained senior leaders of the Party, Government and state-owned enterprises on strategic communications. There have been more than 50,000 leaders including senior officials, SOE presidents, spokespersons and government communications chiefs that have attended his lectures and seminars. He serves as key member of a number of senior advisory boards and expert committees of the State Council, including Planning and Evaluation Committee of the State Council Information Office, Advisors’ Committee of the State Council Ecology and Environment Protection, Communications Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Health, Expert Committee of the State Council Food Safety Commission, Communications Advisor to the State Food and Drug Administration, and special communication advisor for the SASAC and Ministry of Science and Technology. He participated in proposing several laws and regulations on media and communications including the State Council's Transparent Governance Act which was announced in May 2008 just before the Olympic Games. In December 2014, he was appointed a member of the Board of Advisor of Strategic Communications for the National People’s Supreme Court by His Excellency the First Great Judge Qiang Zhou.
Prof. Dong was appointed Member of the Expert Committee of National Response to the COVID-19 Command Central in January 2020 and he served as a senior communications advisor travelled with the National Government’s Steering Committee to Wuhan, Hubei Province, for 45 days during the most challenging period of the Pandemic.
Prof. Dong played important roles in strategic communications in the corporate world. He served as member of the Board at China Eastern Air Media and Julong Shares and was invited as the communications and public participation advisors for SinoPec, Lenovo, Shenhua, Alibaba, Cartier, TAL, Huaneng, AnSteel and Transfar.
Prof. Dong is widely regarded as one of influential leaders of the public relations, strategic communications and philanthropy in China. He was elected as Senior Deputy Secretary-General (2009) and Vice Chairman (2011 and 2020) of the China Public Relations Association (CPRA). He also won the election to be the Chairman of National Association of Public Relations Education in October 2021. In December 2021, Prof. Dong was announced a Senior Advisor of Public Relations, Beijing Organizing Committee of Winter Olympic Games 2022. Prof. Dong holds an LLB in Diplomatic Studies and Foreign Affairs Administration from Peking University, an MA in Political Communications from the University of Sheffield, an MPhil of Development Studies from the University of Cambridge and a PhD of East Asian Studies from the University of Durham.