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Meet the President
Mark Dollins is president of North Star Communications Consulting, a consultancy with core capabilities in communications talent development, and in employee/change communications strategy. Founded in 2011, North Star has provided communications consulting services to clients that include Visa, Toyota, Louis Vuitton, Xerox and Keep America Beautiful, among others.
Mark’s previous corporate experience spans more than 30 years with Fortune 500 companies. It includes serving as head of Executive & Global Employee Communications for DuPont, where he created and executed communication strategies that engaged 35,000 employees in the Company’s growth initiatives, and empowered 8,000 people leaders to measurably engage their teams during the company’s $130B merger with Dow. He and his team drove communications strategies for the CEO and Senior Executive Team — internally and externally — and change management communications for the enterprise. In 2017 and 2018, his team earned the industry’s highest honors for communications excellence. This includes six IABC Gold Quills and two PRSA Silver Anvil awards for change management, employee engagement and employee communications. In 2018, PR Week awarded DuPont its highest honor for employee communications in North America, nominated his team’s work for best campaign of the year, and bestowed its “High Commendation” award for employee communications in its 2018 Global Communications competition.
Mark began his career in broadcast and print journalism, working with ABC News and other print news outlets. He currently serves on the national advisory council of George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs, served for eight years on LSU’s journalism advisory board for the Manship School of Communications, and holds a seat on The Conference Board’s Change & Transformation Council.
He received a bachelor’s degree in Radio/TV from The George Washington University, and a master’s degree in organizational communications from Purdue University. He also is a certified USA Wrestling coach, and two-time national USA Wrestling masters folk style champion.
Mark previously spent 17 years in executive communication leadership roles with PepsiCo. He was SVP and Chief Communications Officer at Pepsi Beverages and PepsiCo Americas Foods; and SVP of global internal communications, among other senior corporate roles. He led communications for PepsiCo’s 2011 acquisition of its anchor bottlers and ran merger communications for PepsiCo’s acquisition of The Quaker Oats Company, where he was VP of Corporate Communications. While at Quaker, he led both Corporate Communications and brand communications for Quaker, Life and Cap’n Crunch cereals, Aunt Jemima syrups and mixes, Rice-A-Roni, Gatorade and Tropicana juices. He also led corporate public relations, internal communications, government affairs, philanthropy and community relations.
His career with PepsiCo followed 10 years in the energy sector, running Corporate Communications for Northern Indiana Public Service Company, and leading employee communications for Indiana Michigan Power/American Electric Power.
I could bore you with a chronological history of my 30+ years in Corporate Communications and consulting, or my education, or a bunch of awards. Yawn.
My passion is making communications work. My mom will tell you I had it in me since I was an overly optimistic kid growing up in Alexandria, Va. On a hot summer weekday in 1969, all I needed was a green egg carton and a passion for intergalactic storytelling. That’s when this happened…
… As clearly evidenced by the photo, fashion and professional wrestling were close seconds for career potential, but I went on to edit my high school newspaper, get my degree in radio and television, and start my career as a journalist. While covering murder trials, budget battles and basketball games was fascinating, I yearned for something more. I really believed that communications could be more than just reporting what already happened.
So I started a new career journey — one that pulled the art of storytelling and the science of communicating for a purpose together. I studied organization communications not at a graduate school known for communications, but for engineering. Kind of that art-and-science combo thing.
It worked for me, and I started making it work for all kinds of organizations. From Cap’n Crunch to Kevlar, and credit cards to Corollas, it seemed everyone could use help navigating change — for their businesses, and for communications professionals expected to drive results in dramatically changing marketplaces.
Communications? Results? Guide? “Yeah, that’s it,” I thought. “I could be a North Star.”
I’ve turned in my egg carton Martian mask, but the inner kid with a quest for learning, applying those lessons, and guiding others along the way keeps growing. And after putting on another 200 pounds, I won a couple national masters amateur wrestling titles in 2012, and 2016. I’m keeping my bases covered.
Okay, if you really want to know about those 30 years, education and awards, you can still click here. But I promise I’ll have a better story to tell in person. You can reach me here.
For now, live long and prosper.
Monday to Friday
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
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