John Delacruz is Director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at San José State University.
In this role, Delacruz oversees three undergraduate programs — Advertising, Journalism, and Public Relations — and a graduate program in Mass Communications, along with a diverse faculty, professional staff, and more than 500 students. He oversees the division’s budget, curriculum development, faculty hiring, donor engagement, academic scheduling, student advising, event planning, and service at the college and university levels, while also maintaining an active teaching and research agenda.
As Sequence Head for the Advertising program, Delacruz builds and sustains partnerships with the advertising industry in California and internationally. This work extends to collaborations with institutions across the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. Current research focuses on creative learning environments, digital literacy, and the future of creative practice education in a post-pandemic context. Delacruz has been recognized by Adobe as an Educator of Distinction.
Delacruz previously served as Communications and Creative Director at CommUniverCity, a campus-based community nonprofit, leading communications strategy and creative execution across digital, social, and print platforms. This work included directing campaigns, overseeing a website redesign, maintaining brand voice, and earning two AAF ADDY Awards.
Delacruz has also taught at Miami Ad School’s San Francisco campus and across other U.S. locations, instructing in UX design, mentoring students on portfolios and competitions, and serving as a mentor for global hackathons.
Earlier in the career, Delacruz was Senior Lecturer and later Program Leader for the BA in Advertising and Brand Management at Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent, UK. During this time, Delacruz redesigned professional, historical, and contextual studies across design disciplines and later created an industry-responsive bachelor’s degree integrating creative practice and strategy within a studio-based model.
Originally trained as a graphic artist with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art (Printmaking), Delacruz continues a creative practice as a digital photographer and image maker.