The Innovative, Bow Tie-Wearing Marketing Leader
John T. Jones, originally from Sterling Heights, Michigan, calls Grand Rapids, Michigan home after moving there in 2009 to attend Aquinas College. John graduated from Aquinas in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a dual major in business administration and communication.
In January 2011, in the middle of his junior year, John began working on Amway’s North American Digital Marketing team, where he stayed for nearly two years until he accepted a digital marketing position at Family Christian Stores. In May 2014, John was recruited for the digital marketing and communications manager position at USA Financial and was later promoted to marketing director in September 2019. From May 2014 to May 2019, he also served as IT systems administrator.
A lifelong learner, John graduated with his MBA from Grand Valley State University in spring 2021. In September 2021, after seven and a half years in the financial services industry, John transitioned into the software industry, accepting the digital and content marketing manager position at MFGS, Inc. In December 2022, he was promoted to marketing director.
In March 2024, John accepted the position of financial services product marketing manager and financial services strategist at Egnyte, an international, California-based software company. He leads the international marketing strategy and messaging for the financial services vertical, writes through leadership content, and presents at webinars, events, and conferences.
Throughout his career, he has provided business and marketing consulting through his private company, Penguin Creative Services, to for-profits and non-profits, ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies.
John’s professional expertise focuses on but is not limited to collaborative and empowerment leadership, business management and strategy, product positioning and messaging, problem-solving, process creation and improvement, leveraging technology to meet business needs, digital marketing, and demand generation. He has been published in Investment News, Think Advisor, Wealth Management, and other publications. In October 2023, he was awarded the GAINer award from Government Marketing University for the most innovative and effective lead generation campaign in government marketing. He has also been honored with the 2021 Marketer of the Year award from MFGS, Inc., and the 2025 Revenue Impact Award from Egnyte.
Outside of the office, John keeps busy volunteering, including as an on-air talent for PBS and as a docent at the Frank Lloyd Wright Meyer May House. Previous board roles include president and secretary of Friends of The Opera, board member of Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (MONCA), trustee and treasurer of Opera Grand Rapids, president of GVSU's Graduate Student Association, secretary of the Chalfonte Foundation, and marketing committee member of the University Club of Grand Rapids.
When not volunteering, you’ll find John spending time with his husband, Nick, and their two dogs, visiting family and friends, entertaining, playing the piano and organ, attending classical music and opera performances, traveling, cooking, gardening, fencing (en garde, not pickets), and enjoying a good pot of tea.