Advisory Council

John Arends, earned a journalism degree at Iowa State in 1977, is currently president and chief executive officer of Arends, a marketing group founded by his father, Greenlee School Advisory Council member Don Arends.

Arends, Inc. is based near Chicago and serves local, regional, national and multi-national corporate clients including Kaiser Aluminum, Canadian Pacific Railway, Lucent Technologies, Philips, and Tyco.

At Iowa State, Arends was a member of the Men’s Gymnastics Team, team captain his senior year and on the 1974 NCAA Championship squad.

After graduation, Arends worked for the Iowa Development Commission, first as editor of the commission’s newsletter on tourism, industrial development and community betterment, and then as public information director, where he wrote speeches and guest editorials for state and federal officials.

During this time, Arends helped establish the state’s first Iowa Film Commission office, and served as editor-in-chief of the book “Iowa, The American Heartland,” featuring an introduction by Hugh Sidey and the work of National Geographic photographer Craig Aurness. He has also contributed to The Des Moines Register and Newsweek.

Arends is a former member of the board of directors for the Transportation and Marketing Communications Association, and currently serves as a member of the board of directors for the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, and the Marketing and Advertising Global Network (MAGNET), comprising over 30 international ad agencies.

He has expressed interest in serving as a resource in advertising and brand development.