Bridgestone Americas announced that Dan MacDonald, currently executive director of communications, has been promoted to vice president of community and corporate relations, effective May 1. MacDonald assumes the role previously held by Christine Karbowiak, who was promoted to the newly created position of chief administrative officer.
MacDonald will be responsible for the flow of communications among Bridgestone Americas’ family of companies throughout the Americas and its internal and external publics. In this role, he will oversee BSA’s community and corporate relations function, including media, public, internal and community relations and social media outreach efforts and the company’s strong commitment to driver safety initiatives, especially teen driver safety education.
MacDonald, formerly an award-winning broadcast journalist, joined BSAM in 2002 after having worked in broadcast news for 18 years. “Dan has the skills, experience and the enthusiasm to help Bridgestone Americas continue to communicate effectively with its many audiences,” Karbowiak says. “He’s the right person to lead this department as we work with our new management team to develop communications efforts to support the company’s business and corporate social responsibility goals.”
BSAM also announced three additional changes in the Community and Corporate Relations department. Succeeding MacDonald as executive director of communications is Don Darden, who was most recently director of media relations, BSAM. His promotion also takes effect May 1. Darden will be in charge of managing corporate communications to both internal and external audiences and will be responsible for ensuring that accurate information about the company is provided to the news media, company co-workers, dealers and the community in a clear and consistent manner.
Darden joined the Bridgestone Americas family of companies in 1995 as a territory manager for the Commercial Products Group. Since then, he has assumed roles of increasing responsibility, including regional training manager and manager of marketing communications and advertising for the truck and bus tire division of the former Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire. Prior to joining the Bridgestone Americas family, he worked for Holiday Inn and Gaylord Entertainment Co.
In related news, BSAM also announced the addition of two new staff to its Community and Corporate Relations department. Former Dye, Van Mol and Lawrence (DVL) account executive Elizabeth Lewis has joined the company as a public relations coordinator, and former Tennessean reporter Angela Patterson has been named the digital media coordinator.
