Jeff Smith Named as Senior Director of Colleague Communications at Carlson Companies
MINNEAPOLIS, November 21, 2005. Carlson Companies has named 35-year communications veteran Jeff Smith as senior director of colleague communications. Smith will be responsible for developing and implementing employee communications programs throughout Carlson's family of companies when he joins Carlson Dec. 12.
Smith comes to Carlson from Northwest Airlines, where he led internal communications efforts, edited the airline's inflight publication and directed its AirCares(R) community-support program. In addition, he managed the publication of the company's annual reports.
"Jeff's experience with a far-flung global enterprise such as Northwest, and his resulting knowledge of travel and tourism, make him uniquely qualified to direct Carlson's internal communications efforts," said Doug Cody, Carlson Vice President of Executive Communications. Smith will report to Kim Olson, Vice President-Chief Communications Officer, who is taking over from Cody as head of Carlson communications Nov. 28.
Prior to his 14-year career at Northwest, Smith was president of the MNN Radio Networks in St. Paul and served as president of the National Association of State Radio Networks.
A veteran of more than 35 years in the communications industry, Smith earned a degree in broadcast management from Indiana University.
On behalf of Northwest, he received the Twin Cities International Leadership Institute's Corporate Citizen Award in 2004, and in 2001 was honored with the Arthur C. Clark Award, the highest industry recognition bestowed by the National Association of State Radio Networks.
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