Steve James
About Steve James
Steve James is the Chief Marketing Officer at Fannie Mae, where he leads brand strategy, digital properties, and communications.
Chief Marketing Officer at Fannie Mae
Steve James serves as the Chief Marketing Officer at Fannie Mae. In this role, he manages Fannie Mae’s brand strategy, defining its positioning and value propositions for target audiences. Steve also oversees the company's digital and social properties, an in-house creative agency, design thinking capabilities, and the end-to-end marketing technology stack. His responsibilities include internal and external communications, public relations, and media relations, ensuring a consistent and strategic message across all channels. Steve supports critical areas like capital markets, affordable housing, racial equity, ESG, and consumer education within Fannie Mae.
Previous Roles at Fannie Mae
Before becoming the Chief Marketing Officer, Steve James was the Senior Vice President of Strategy, Insights, and Marketing at Fannie Mae from 2016 to 2019. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in building a centralized marketing and communications function that served all of Fannie Mae’s business lines, including single-family and multifamily sectors. His strategic insights and leadership helped shape Fannie Mae's marketing landscape in the Washington D.C. Metro Area.
Senior Vice President of Marketing at TIAA
Steve James served as the Senior Vice President of Marketing at TIAA from 2014 to 2016. Based in Washington, DC, he led marketing initiatives and strategies aimed at enhancing TIAA’s market presence and customer engagement. His role involved comprehensive marketing management, underlining his expertise in driving marketing efforts for large financial institutions.
Marketing Leadership at Capital One
From 2003 to 2014, Steve James was the Managing Vice President, Head of Consumer Bank Marketing at Capital One in McLean, VA. Over his 11-year tenure, he was responsible for leading consumer bank marketing activities, including customer acquisition, retention strategies, and brand management. His role significantly contributed to Capital One's growth and consumer engagement during this period.
Early Career at Toyota and Education
Steve James began his marketing career at Toyota, where he worked from 1998 to 2003 as the Lead of Lexus Product Planning and B2B Digital Products in Torrance, CA. He holds an MBA from Indiana University Bloomington (1996-1998) and a B.S. in Marketing from Virginia Tech (1990-1994), which laid the foundational knowledge for his extensive career in marketing.