John Schlimm


John Schlimm is an American author and educator.

Early years

John was born in St. Marys, Pennsylvania and resides there. The great-great-grandson of Straub Brewery Founder Peter Straub, he grew up within walking distance of his family's brewery.

Memoir: ''Five Years in Heaven''

In 2015, John released his first memoir, Five Years in Heaven: The Unlikely Friendship That Answered Life’s Greatest Questions. The book chronicles John's friendship with an aged nun. The book received a Christopher Award in 2016.

Early career

During his early career in the 1990s, John served in the Vice Presidential Communications Office at The White House where he worked with Second Lady Tipper Gore as well as having worked in production and scriptwriting for the national radio series Enterprising Women, fundraising for various national and local non-profits, and country music PR at FrontPage Publicity in Nashville where he worked with Naomi Judd and other superstars.
In 2003, John joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford as an adjunct professor in the Communication and the Arts Department.

Community involvement

In 2013, Schlimm delivered a keynote address titled "Embrace Compassion, Change the World" on Capitol Hill at the Congressional Vegetarian Staff Association luncheon.

Education

In 2002, John graduated with a master's degree in education from Harvard University.