DI People: Energy Transfer, Kimberly-Clark, CyrusOne, and Munck Wilson Make Moves

Across North Texas, companies are promoting and hiring people to take on leadership positions within their organizations.

Dallas Innovates covers prominent personnel moves in Dallas-Fort Worth businesses and nonprofits—from the newest startups to well-established companies. Here are the people moves tied to innovation and technology in the region.

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Energy Transfer names co-CEOs as Kelcy Warren steps down

Kelcy Warren

Kelcy Warren, the billionaire businessman and leader in the energy industry, is stepping down from his longtime role as CEO of Dallas-headquartered Energy Transfer LP.

Warren, who co-founded the midstream energy company in 1996 with some 200 miles of natural gas pipelines and 20 employees, will remain as executive chairman and chairman of the Board of Directors.

He said in a statement that he will continue to be intimately involved in the strategic growth of the company.

Mackie McCrea

Mackie McCrea and Tom Long will take over as co-chief executive officers, effective Jan. 1, 2021.

“I could not be more proud to pass the reins to Mackie and Tom,” Warren said in a statement. “Both have greatly contributed to our success, which I know they will continue in their new roles.”

McCrea has been with the company since 1997 when he joined the partnership as its SVP of Business Development. Since, he has help multiple leadership roles, most recently serving as president and chief commercial officer of Energy Transfer.

Tom Long

Long has served as chief financial officer since 2016. Prior to that, he was the executive vice president and CFO of Regency Energy Partners LP, which Energy Transfer acquired in 2010.

Both are also on the Energy Transfer Board of Directors.

Energy Transfer is a publicly traded limited partnership. The company owns and operates one of the largest and most diversified portfolios of energy assets in the country, according to a release, with a footprint in all major domestic production basins.

Kimberly-Clark gets a chief human resources officer

Sandi Karrmann

Dallas-based Kimberly-Clark Corporation is bringing on Sandi Karrmann to its executive leadership team as senior vice president and chief human resources officers, effective Oct. 26.

Karrmann’s experience includes senior leadership roles at PepsiCo, YUM!, and Pizza Hut. Most recently, she was the chief human resources officer at Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare.

Mike Hsu, Kimberly-Clark’s chairman and chief executive officer, called Karrmann a great addition to the team who can help create a “winning culture where the world’s best talent thrives.”

In her new role, Karrmann will manage all global human resources functions, which includes talent recruiting, development and performance management, labor relations, and more.

Munck Wilson Mandala adds an attorney to its sports law practice

Andrew Rhoden

Munck Wilson Mandala is bringing on an experienced attorney to its growing sports law practice, Andrew Rhoden.

Rhoden has a vast background in sports and higher education law, according to the technology-focused law firm. Before attending law school, he worked for 10 years as a football coach at the NCAA Division I institutions and high school levels.

In his new role at MWM, Rhoden will serve as an associate representing NCAA college coaches and higher education leaders. He will also provide Title IX and other crucial training to universities across the U.S.

Most recently, Rhoden was a legal consultant in Charlotte, North Carolina for Horack Talley. There, he chaired the sports practice.

CyrusOne elects a new CFO

Katherine Motlagh

The Board of Directors at Dallas-based CyrusOne, a global data center REIT, has elected Katherine Motlagh as its new executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Oct. 30.

Motlagh succeeds Diane Morefield, who announced that she was retiring earlier this summer. The two women will work together to ensure a seamless transition, according to CyrusOne.

Motlagh brings more than two decades of experience in financial leadership and public accounting to her new role, previously holding roles at American Tower Corporation, Ericsson, and Nokia.

She will be responsible for overseeing financial activities, periodic financial planning, reporting and managing operational finance, and more.

The first Black woman to head community relations at DPD is joining Dallas Habitat for Humanity

Joli Robinson

Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity is bringing on a familiar face in the local law enforcement community to serve as its new vice president of Government Affairs and Public Policy: Joli Robinson.

At Dallas Habitat, Robinson will serve as a liaison and spokesperson for the community. It’s a role she’s well equipped for, considering she’s joining the nonprofit after serving as the director of Community Affairs and Youth Outreach at the Dallas Police Department for around eight years.

By those who know her, Robinson has been lauded as a vocal change maker for racial equity via her volunteer and professional work. Per a statement, she was the first Black woman to head community relations at DPD, despite the office being created in the late 1980s to address a history of poor relationships between the Dallas police and communities of color.

Learn more about her here.

Imaginuity names a chief media officer

Kristin Nuckols

Dallas-based Imaginuity has promoted Kristin Nuckols to chief media officer after she has spent four years at the company building best-in-class media planning and buying capabilities for traditional digital media.

Imaginuity, known for reimagining marketing for the connected age, said that Nuckols will be leading one of the largest in-house media departments in the Southwest. Imaguinity has brought media planning, strategy, and buying together to offer advantages via relationships, savings, and technology.

“We are proud to name Kristin our first chief media officer—for years she has been the driving force behind assembling the exceptional talent and technology required to effectively convert our clients’ audiences into efficient conversions,” CEO Taylor Calise said in a statement. “By managing this in-house under Kristin’s leadership, we can create a frictionless experience as audiences journey through the media conversion path.”

HudsonLake promotes Quinton Crenshaw to CMO

Quinton Crenshaw

HudsonLake, a full-service strategic communications firm, has promoted Quinton Crenshaw to its chief marketing officer.

Crenshaw joined HudsonLake, which specializes in transformative workplace communications, in 2016 as a strategic communications consultant. Overall, he has more than two decades of experience as a trusted communications advisor building and leading communication initiatives at global companies, according to a news release.

In his new role, Crenshaw will oversee the firm’s internal and external marketing initiatives, business development, and reputation management. He will also be the North Texas market lead, which involves clients such as Toyota and 7-Eleven.

NuZee forms a sales advisory team

Stanley Soebianto

Brent Toevs

Plano-based specialty coffee company NuZee has formed an advisory team dedicated to developing and implementing enhanced sales strategies that fuel growth.

NuZee, which a co-packer that also produces single serve pour-over coffee, selected its advisory team based on their industry knowledge, alignment with company goals, expertise in packaging, B2B sales experience, production efficiencies, and more.

The members of the team will be tasked with focusing on growing NuZee’s B2B co-packing capabilities. The company intends to raise its profile of “industry-disrupting formats.”

Jill Talcott

Tokunori Yamamoto

“I look forward to working with this diverse team of industry veterans to drive innovation and growth, helping us to lead adoption of single serve pour over coffee in the U.S,”Masa Higashida, president and CEO of NuZee, said in a statement. “This move is anticipated to help us widen our network, which aligns with our goal to expand our B2B partnerships with national brands & coffee roasters.”

The advisory team members are: Stanley Soebianto, who has over a decade of expertise in green coffee; Jill Talcott, a senior food technology innovator; Brent Toevs, owner of SEB Coffee; and Tokunori Yamamoto PhD, a research professor at Nagoya University Hospital.

ALTO Real Estate Funds expands its acquisitions team

ALTO Real Estate Funds, a series of closed-end investment funds specializing in value-add commercial properties, is growing its acquisitions teamand making senior management appointments.

ALTO has appointed Andre Ciani, an industrial real estate professional who spent eight years at Berkeley Partners, as its director of acquisitions. According to a release, he has a strong track record, extensive understanding of the U.S. real estate industrial market, and deep relationships that can help ALTO acquire more industrial properties.

ALTO has also promoted two “homegrown” vice presidents: Ran Preis, who is now vice president, head of acquisitions; and Dor Dezalovsky, vice president, head of asset management. Preis has been with ALTO since early 2016 and Dezalovsky since 2017.

AMN Healthcare expands its Board of Directors

Sylvia Trent-Adams

Dallas- and San Diego-based AMN Healthcare has appointed Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, a distinguished leader in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, to its Board of Directors.

Trent-Adams experience includes decades of service, first serving as a nurse officer in the U.S. Army before entering the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps in 1992.

She went on to hold the role of deputy surgeon general and acting surgeon general of the United States. She has also been the principal deputy assistant secretary for health at the US Department of Health & Human Services, prior to her recent retirement.

“We are honored to have a leader of Rear Admiral Trent-Adams’ stature and legacy of service to join AMN Healthcare and help guide our company in the years ahead,” Susan Salka, the president, director, and CEO of AMN Healthcare, said in a statement. “Her commitment to helping underserved populations will be invaluable to AMN Healthcare as we strive to better serve the communities where we work and live.”

Sidley Austin adds a partner in Dallas

Eric Winwood

General practice law firm Sidley Austin has added attorney Eric Winwood to its team as a partner in its Dallas office.

Winwood will also serve as a member of the firm’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice and a leader of Dallas’ Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation group. He is a Chambers-ranked practitioner who has experience advising clients on compensation and benefits matters and in the energy sector.

“As a well-respected lawyer in the Dallas market, Eric has the specialization that we are looking for to continue building on our national employee benefits and executive compensation capabilities,” Yvette Ostolaza, managing partner of Sidley’s office in Dallas, said in a statement. “His experience in the oil an gas sector will be of particular value to our clients in that industry.”

DZS bolsters its executive leadership and other teams

Plano-based DZS has made a slew of changes to its executive leadership, technology, and operations teams.

DZS is a provider of fixed and mobile packet, optical transport, and connected premises solutions to global service providers and enterprises. According to the company, all new leaders bring a knowledge of cutting-edge technology and best practices, which will help fuel its growth in the 5G and fiber access markets.

The company changes are:

Andrew Bender, Chief Technology Officer; formerly with VMware, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and GENBAND/Ribbon Communications
Michael Martin, Global Operations; formerly with ARRIS/CommScope, ADTRAN, and Calix
Darrin Whitney, Chief Information Officer; formerly with MediaKind/Ericsson and GENBAND/Ribbon Communications
Justin Ferguson, Chief Legal Officer; formerly with GENBAND/Ribbon Communications and Zix
Miguel Alonso, Vice President of Global Product Line Management; formerly with Calix
Doron Paz, Vice President of R&D; formerly with Zhone and Nortel
Ken Stumpf, Business Development; formerly with IBM and Metaswitch/Microsoft
Meggin Sawyer, North America Sales; formerly with ADTRAN
Anna Klosterman, North America Sales; formerly with Sandvine and GENBAND/Ribbon Communications
Bethe Strickland, North America Sales; formerly with ADTRAN, Metaswitch/Microsoft and Mavenir
Ted Moreau, Investor Relations; formerly with Infinera

Augustine Agency brings on a board advisor

Barbara D’Amato

Dallas-based Augustine Agency, a fast-growing fully-integrated marketing agency, has brought on Barbara D’Amato to focus on its global growth strategies.

D’Amato will serve as a board advisor to the agency and strategize on acquiring private equity accounts. Her emphasis will be in technology.

The hire comes at a time when Augustine is looking to broaden its portfolio in Texas and beyond. Locally, its top clients include Avocados From Mexico and Mission Foods.

D’Amato brings more than three decades of experience in commercial and investment banking experience. She has worked with a variety of industries throughout her career: technology, financial institutions, sovereign wealth funds, healthcare, and biotech trades.

Caris Life Sciences appoints a chief business officer

Brian Lamon

Irving-based Caris Life Sciences, a biotech innovator focused on fulfilling the promise of precision medicine, has named Brian Lamon, PhD, as its new chief business officer and the head of BioPharma Business Development.

Lamon brings more than 15 years of relevant experience to Caris, in both large pharma and academia. Previosly, he was the vice president and development lead for Genitourinary (GU) Malignancies and Oncology Development at Bristol Myers Squibb. He has also held leadership roles in clinical development and business development, and was an assistant dean of research development and assistant professor at Cornell.

In his new role, Lamon will be tasked with developing the business development strategy for Caris and translating it into actionable goals.

RAVE Restaurant Group brings on two new leaders

Dion Firooznia

Dallas-based Rave Restaurant Group, the parent company of Pizza Inn and Pie Five Pizza, has hired two new executives to fuel franchise development: Darren Webb as director of development for RAVE and Dion Firooznia as franchise business consultant for Pizza Inn.

According to Rave, Webb and Firooznia will drive development in the Carolinas, a key area of expansion for Pizza Inn. They have experience in the industry and working together—both previously served at Bojangles’ Restaurants, Webb as director of real estate and Firooznia as regional vice president.

“Darren has a great network in the Southeast, specifically in the Carolinas,” Rave CEO Brandon Solano said in a statement. “Dion is a skilled communicator, a best-in-class operator and an expert at building relationships. Those skills will serve him well with franchisees. We believe Pizza Inn has huge potential to thrive in the North Carolina market, and these two men will be key for Rave to develop a stronger presence in this area of the country.”