Jess Goode
Vice President, External Affairs, Illinois Institute of Technology
Jess Goode serves as Illinois Institute of Technology’s vice president for external affairs, where he leads the university’s marketing and communications, government relations and community affairs offices. Goode has more than 20 years of experience in strategic communications, marketing, and government. He has led successful communications campaigns at the federal and state levels and has been a senior government official in a congressional office and in state government. In 1996 Goode began his career as a press secretary in a top-targeted congressional race and continued as a press secretary on Capitol Hill until 2001. He later became district director for Congressman Ted Strickland and was responsible for representing Strickland in Ohio and for managing four congressional district offices. In 2005 he became the communications director for Strickland’s run for Ohio governor and next served as communications director for Governor Strickland, overseeing the governor’s press staff as well as communications and marketing for 23 state agencies and departments.
Goode has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science from Ohio State University.