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 people moves tied to innovation and technology in the region.

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Smoothie King taps Andrews as its new chief information officer

Chris Andrews

Irving-based Smoothie King announced that IT executive Chris Andrews has joined the company as chief information officer.

Andrews will be responsible for managing the overall design and execution of Smoothie King’s IT strategy, while also further developing its digital infrastructure, the smoothie chain said. Andrews’ goal is to ease the transaction process and provide as many avenues as possible for guests to interact with the brand.

Andrews joins Smoothie King from Irving-based Pei Wei Asian Diner, where he was also CIO.

Tricolor promotes Goin to president and chief operating officer

Don Goin

Don Goin has been promoted to president and chief operating officer by Tricolor, the nation’s largest used vehicle retailer that focuses on the sale and financing of vehicles to the Hispanic consumer.

Goin’s promotion comes three months after he was appointed chief technology officer.

Goin has had a 25-year career in technology leadership. Prior to joining Tricolor, he served for more than 12 years as the chief information officer at Santander Consumer USA, leading all of technology strategy and execution.

Goin also served as chief information officer at Capital One Auto Finance, leading the creation of its innovation center.

RumbleOn appoints Levy as new chief operating officer

Peter Levy

Peter Levy has been appointed as chief operating officer by RumbleOn, a Dallas-based eCommerce company that uses technology to simplify how dealers and consumers buy, sell, trade, or finance preowned vehicles.

Levy will be responsible for leading day-to-day operations and the overarching strategy for sales, inventory management, dealer relations, and marketing departments, the company said.

Previously, Levy was senior vice president of operations at RumbleOn.

Transplace makes two leadership appointments

Tracy Rosser

Karen Sage

Transplace, a Frisco-based provider of transportation management services and logistics technology solutions, has announced two major leadership appointments.

Karen Sage has been appointed as chief marketing officer, and Tracy Rosser has been appointed executive vice president of operations. Both will report directly to CEO Frank McGuigan. 

Sage will lead the sales operations, corporate communications, and all marketing strategies and functions based at the company’s headquarters in Frisco.

Rosser will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and direction for its Transportation Management business unit. He will be based at Transplace’s Center of Excellence in Lowell, Arkansas.

Educational First Steps taps Allen as executive director

Vickie Allen

Vickie Allen has been named as executive director of Dallas-based Educational First Steps.

Allen formerly was senior vice president of development at United Way of Tarrant County. She has held numerous positions with nonprofits in Texas and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Educational First Steps partners with existing daycare centers and preschools in some of North Texas’ most-impoverished neighborhoods to provide them with the tools and techniques needed to transform caregiving into teaching.

EFS says that more than 6,700 at-risk children, from newborn to 5 years old, receive quality early education because of its investment. EFS started in South Dallas and has grown to also serve Tarrant, Denton, Johnson, Collin and Grayson counties.

EnLink Midstream names Griffin senior vice president

Justin Griffin

Justin Griffin has been named senior vice president of business and corporate development by Dallas-based EnLink Midstream LLC.

EnLink said that Griffin will oversee its strategic growth plan and reinforce its focus on new project development and merger and acquisition activity.

During his 12-year career with EnLink, Griffin has held a variety of functional and leadership roles in engineering, construction, and business development. Most recently, he was vice president of business development.

Cloud brings video game licensing and trademark expertise to Munck Wilson Mandala

Wade Cloud

Dallas law firm Munck Wilson Mandala has added D. Wade Cloud Jr. as a new partner. Munck has developed a unique practice focused on clients in the video game industry, handling licensing and trademark work on iconic video games such as DOOM, Quake, Rage, and Wolfenstein.  

Cloud brings more than 30 years of legal experience handling trademark, licensing, and copyright matters across many industries, including automotive parts, food, software development, and distribution.

Munck Wilson Mandala said that Cloud will add to its practice in video game and esports—both growing industries that generated over $30 billion in revenue in the U.S. in 2018.

Gutierrez joins Reed Smith as a partner in Dallas

Jorge Gutierrez

Jorge Gutierrez has joined Reed Smith as a partner in its Energy and Natural Resources practice.

Reed Smith opened its Dallas office roughly two weeks ago with 16 lawyers. Gutierrez becomes the firm’s ninth partner. Previously, he worked as a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright.

Gutierrez’s practice focuses on representing national private and public E&P and midstream companies. He’s worked on matters that pertain to the acquisition and divestiture of oil and gas properties and midstream assets, general business operations, and banks that make secured, reserved-based loans to E&P companies.

Spivey rejoins KPMG as partner in Dallas office

Tracey Spivey

Audit, tax, and advisory firm KPMG LLP announced that Tracey Spivey has rejoined the firm as a partner in its Family Offices and Private Client Services practice.

Based in Dallas, Spivey will provide services to family offices and their private business owners both on a local and national level.

Formerly, Spivey was a partner at Montgomery Coscia Greilich LLP. He has extensive experience advising and serving high-net-worth families in the areas of wealth transfer planning, income-tax planning, and tax-return compliance. 

Albers assumes HR department leadership at Dunaway

Nova Albers

Nova Albers has been named to lead the human resources department at Fort Worth-based professional services firm Dunaway.

The firm offers civil engineering, structural engineering, planning & landscape architecture, environmental survey, and GIS services.

Albers comes to Dunaway from Exeter Finance, where she most recently was a senior vice president.

Updated on May 29, 2019: Reed Smith was incorrectly identified as Reed Fulton.

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