JJ Akin ’11Alumni and Staff

Jacob "JJ" Akin grew up in Farmington, Minnesota, and considered four private liberal arts colleges in the state before choosing to attend Gustavus Adolphus College as an undergraduate. 

During his time on campus as a student, Akin majored in English, minored in geography, and was a four-year member of the Golden Gustie football team. He also interned in the Sports Information Office, wrote for the Gustavian Weekly student newspaper, and served on the editorial team of Firethorne, the College's student-run literary magazine. 

Akin began his career in higher education as an admission counselor at Gustavus, recruiting students from Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Northern Minnesota, and select Twin Cities high schools. He was also involved in the transition from paper to digital files and the implementation of Technolutions Slate as the College's new front-end student relationship management and enrollment program. Akin served as the Coordinator of Admission Marketing & Technology from 2013-2015, directing print and digital marketing communications from the Office of Admission. 

Ahead of the 2015-16 academic year, Akin moved to the Office of Marketing & Communication to serve as the Director of Media Relations & Internal Communication. During his 7+ years in the role, he was responsible for drafting and delivering internal and external communications, serving as lead copy and content editor of all public-facing communications and marketing pieces, and contributing to content planning, management, and execution across print, web, and social channels. Responsible for inbound and outbound media relations and organizational communication throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Akin developed a particular passion for communication planning, crisis communications, and stakeholder management. He was named the winner of the Eric Norelius Award for Outstanding Administrative Employee at Gustavus in 2021. 

After completing his master's degree in strategic communication at the University of Minnesota, Akin worked for a year at Fast Horse, a leading creative communications firm in Minneapolis. During his time in the agency world, he supported clients including Heineken USA, Audi of America, Toro, SageGlass, Edwards Desserts, and Pagoda Snacks with integrated planning, communications strategy and execution, and media relations efforts. 

Akin returned to Gustavus in July 2023 to serve as the Assistant to the President and the Board of Trustees. 

He is married to Dr. Hayley Russell, associate professor of health and exercise science and director of the College's interdisciplinary sport management program. They live close to campus with their dog, Duke, and cat, Cleo.