Marc Howze is the former Group President, Lifecycle Solutions and Chief Administrative Officer at Deere & Company, where he also served as Senior Advisor, Office of the Chairman, from October 2022 until his retirement in February 2024. During his tenure, he provided counsel to the CEO and other leaders on strategic, operational and other matters and supported external advocacy efforts on behalf of Deere.
Howze joined the company in 2001 as an attorney and later served as senior attorney, senior counsel and associate general counsel and corporate secretary. Subsequently, he moved to the Ag & Turf division, where his positions included manager of business development, turf-care factory manager and Global Director of the cotton-harvesting product line. Howze became Vice President of global human resources in 2012 and assumed responsibility for communications two years later. He was named Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer in 2016 and Group President, Lifecycle Solutions and Chief Administrative Officer in 2020.
Throughout his career, Howze spearheaded strategic initiatives focused on improving operations, delivering customer value, developing future leaders, making Deere a highly regarded employer and promoting the company’s brand.
Under his leadership, the company was consistently recognized as one of Interbrand's top global brands, Glassdoor's Best Places to Work, Fast Company's Most Innovative Workplaces and the American Innovation Index's Most Innovative Firms.
Prior to joining John Deere, Howze served as an officer in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of major. During 12 years of active-duty service, Howze excelled in various capacities, including field artillery and the Judge Advocate General's Corps.
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Howze earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, a juris doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School, and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Marc serves on the University of Michigan-Dearborn National Advisory Council, the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company Board of Directors, the Feeding America Board of Directors and the Dover Board of Directors. Additional board service has included the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the John Deere Foundation, the Human Resources Policy Association, the National Association of Manufacturers and the Executive Leadership Council. He is a member of the Illinois and Michigan Bar Associations.
