Age 38  |  President, Strategic Elements LLC

A political operative turned corporate consultant, John Stineman has taken on a number of new responsibilities in Central Iowa during the past few years.

As president of Strategic Elements LLC, a public affairs consulting firm that Stineman founded in 2009, he spends his days developing strategies for global public relations and marketing campaigns with some of the world’s best-known brands.

Verizon Communications Inc., McDonald’s Corp. and AT&T Inc. are among the corporations Stineman has listed on his resume. Recently, he has gotten more involved with the local nonprofit sector.

“I wear a lot of hats,” Stineman said, referring to his recent appointments to serve as interim director of the Iowa Chamber Alliance and as executive director of Heartland Technology Alliance.

He also leads the planning committee for Des Moines Twestival 2011, a social media-centered fund-raising event slated to take place on March 24 at Mars Café. Last year, Stineman graduated from the Iowa Association of Business and Industry’s Leadership Iowa program.

Health and wellness are important to the Iowa native, too. Married with two children, Stineman is founder and director of Iowans for Wellness & Prevention, an approximately 4-year-old nonprofit organization intended to advance initiatives among employers, health-care providers and policy-makers.

He is the only member of the public to serve on the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians Foundation’s board of directors.

“I’m really excited about the things we are doing to improve our community and to prepare our state to go to the next level,” Stineman said, adding that his late father, Mike Stineman, was his one and only mentor.

“He was a very active businessman, but was also extremely involved with his community,” Stineman said. “He taught me how to get involved, give back and appreciate relationships. He was the real deal.”

Prior to launching his consulting career, Stineman was a field representative for Gov. Terry Branstad’s re-election campaign in 1994. He was the Iowa campaign manager for Steve Forbes’ 2000 presidential bid.