Local Marketing Industry Leader Accepts Post

James M. Jenness, a local marketing industry leader, recently was appointed to DePaul University’s Board of Trustees.

Jenness currently serves as chief executive officer of Integrated Merchandising Systems, LLC (IMS), headquartered in Morton Grove, Ill. IMS is a market leader in outsource management for the retail promotion and branded merchandising functions for Fortune 500 companies. Before joining IMS, Jenness spent 22 years at the Leo Burnett Company, a Chicago-based global advertising agency with a presence in more than 60 countries. Jenness held various account management positions at the agency, including global vice chairman and chief operating officer. He also was a member of the Leo Burnett board of directors and executive committee.

Jenness holds two degrees from DePaul. He earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1969 and received an MBA in 1971. He received the Alumni of the Year Award in 1996 from DePaul’s College of Commerce.

Active in numerous professional and civic organizations, Jenness is a member of the boards of The Kellogg Company, International Multifoods Corporation, and The Schwarz Company. Jenness also sits on the board of directors for both Children’s Memorial Hospital and the Children’s Memorial Foundation. He is a member of the board of regents of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls and is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.

DePaul is the largest private university in Chicago and the largest Catholic university in the United States. The university enrolls a richly diverse population of 21,363 students who take classes on two city and six suburban campuses.

DePaul was founded in 1898 by the Vincent Fathers and Brothers (the Congregation of the Mission), a Roman Catholic religious community which continues the mission and values of Vincent de Paul, the 17th century French saint. The university emphasizes academic excellence, service to the community, access to education and respect for the individual.