John Heino has been named Alum of the Month for March 2008 at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN.

The Alum of the Month designation recognizes alumni who are role models to current students and an inspiration to St. Scholastica alumni.

Heino graduated from St. Scholastica in 1994 with a master’s degree in management.

“I was especially impressed with the quality of learning experiences throughout my graduate studies at St. Scholastica,” he said.

“The faculty and courses were top-notch and the opportunities to interact with classmates already successful in the business world added extremely valuable and practical insights.”

He is president and CEO of Como Oil & Propane, based in Duluth. He was previously vice president of business and community relations for Como’s parent company, East Central Energy, an electric cooperative serving more than 56,000 customers in east central Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.

He was vice president of strategic services for the JPG Group, consulting with business clients in the areas of strategic planning, public affairs, organizational development and customer service.

He served in various capacities at Minnesota Power including manager of public affairs, federal and state lobbyist, and organizational development consultant.

He is coauthor of “Winning at the Grassroots: A Comprehensive Manual for Corporations and Associations.” He was an editor for “Gaining the Winning Edge: A Guide to Successful Third-Party Relations.”

Heino has been an adjunct instructor at St. Scholastica for undergraduate courses in quantitative management.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Minnesota Duluth. He is a graduate of the Public Affairs Council’s Public Affairs Institute, the Blandin Community Leadership Program and Leadership Duluth. He is also a policy fellow of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and served on the Energy Advisory Committee to U.S. Senator Rod Grams.

He is treasurer for the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, a board member of the Area Partnership for Economic Expansion (APEX), a Knight Creative Communities Initiative (KCCI) community catalyst and co-chair of the KCCI Art Works initiative.