Board of Directors

Scott Chaikin

Scott Chaikin

Chairman Emeritus, Board Member and Senior Advisor

Scott was named president of Dix & Eaton in 1996 and CEO in 1998, earlier having led both Dix & Eaton’s Investor Relations and Public Relations practices.  He specializes in counsel to senior leadership on communications surrounding critical issues and major change initiatives. His work has focused on CEO succession, crises, culture change, M&A, rebranding, shareholder activism and overarching communications strategy for organizations like AkzoNobel, American Greetings, Covia, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Forest City Realty Trust, Keycorp, Northwest Airlines, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Sherwin Williams and UnitedHealth Group.

Specializes in:

  • Communications strategy
  • CEO communications
  • Crisis communications
  • Change management
  • Communications organization design

Involved with:

  • Board chair of Greater Cleveland Partnership
  • Board member of Playhouse Square
  • Board member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
  • Member and former Global Board chair of the Worldcom Public Relations Group
  • Former Board member of the PR Council

Enjoys:

  • Travel
  • Hiking
  • Live music

Paul Dolan

Paul Dolan

Owner/Chairman/Chief Executive Officer – The Cleveland Guardians

With the Dolan family’s ownership of the Cleveland Guardians (formerly Indians) in its 15th season in 2014, Paul Dolan served his second campaign as the primary control person of the franchise after being formally approved by Major League Baseball on Jan. 10, 2013. Paul continues to serve as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Guardians, roles that he accepted prior to the 2011 season. He began as Vice President, General Counsel of the Guardians upon joining the organization in 2000 and later served as the club’s President from 2004-10.

Paul was born and raised in nearby Chardon, Ohio where he attended high school at Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills. He graduated with a B.A. degree from St. Lawrence University in 1980 and received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Notre Dame’s Law School in 1983. Prior to joining the Guardians, Paul was a partner at Thrasher, Dinsmore & Dolan, a Chardon, Ohio based law firm. He currently serves on the boards of Smucker’s and The Cleveland Foundation.


Dave Eaton

Dave Eaton

Managing Principal, The Eaton Group

Dave’s focus addresses the human side of any culture change or business transaction, while the company works to ensure efficient and effective execution and sustainability of desired change. This is often achieved thru cultural integration and individual and team performance, which can have a direct impact on bottom-line results.

He has worked with clients across a broad range of industries in more than 50 countries globally, facilitating some 750 workshops and top team alignment sessions, in complex transformation events including M&A/JV, globalization, spin-offs/carve-outs, and other major business transformations.

Dave has a master’s degree in Intercultural Management from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. He is a member of, and speaker at, a wide array of professional associations in Human Resources (SHRM, ASTD, HCI, HRLF), Global Mobility (ERC), and other industry conferences (Conference Board, NASSCOM, and Project Management International). He has been an invited guest lecturer at major business schools and universities including Harvard University, Emory University, Boston University and Babson College.


Chas D. Withers

Chas D. Withers

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

As CEO, Chas has everyday responsibility for ensuring that Dix & Eaton delivers on its promise of results-driven focus, insight, and best-of-breed culture.

He has spent the bulk of his career consulting with a diverse array of organizations – corporate, civic, academic, philanthropic – to solve problems, create opportunities and to ensure best outcomes.  A core emphasis of his work and leadership has been stewardship in high-stakes, complex and transformative situations that span multiple audiences including shareholders, employees, customers, legislators, communities and the media.

A member of the firm’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee, he formerly served as president, chief operating officer, and, at different times, head of the marketing communications, technology and emerging growth practices at Dix & Eaton.

Chas is a graduate of Kent State University, Leadership Cleveland, and the FBI Citizen’s Academy, and has been on teams that received the Silver Anvil Award (given by Public Relations Society of America) three times in his career.  He was formerly with Answerthink Consulting Group, Case Western Reserve University and Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Akron.

Specializes In:

  • Organizational reputation and positioning, branding initiatives
  • Coordinated, integrated communications and marketing strategies spanning varied audiences
  • Crisis, high-stakes scenarios
  • Complex transformations, transactions

Involved with:

  • Greater Cleveland Sports Commission
  • 50 Club of Cleveland
  • Former board member of Ohio Tuition Trust Authority (former chair), Business Volunteers Unlimited (BVU), Achievement Centers for Children, St. Joseph Academy, West Side Ecumenical Ministries, El Barrio, Lakewood Community Services Center (former chair), OneCommunity, The Great Lakes Science Center, The President’s Council Foundation, Lakewood Catholic Academy
  • FBI Citizen’s Academy (2018 graduate)
  • The PR Council
  • Kent State University
  • The City of Cleveland
  • Leadership Cleveland (2007 class)

Enjoys:

  • All Cleveland sports teams (yes, it’s a sickness)
  • Exploring new places
  • Listening to and playing music

Lisa Rose

Lisa Rose

President

Drawing on more than 20 years of varied corporate and agency experience, including leading the agency’s investor relations practice, Lisa has deep expertise in investor relations, corporate communications, change management and employee engagement. She regularly conducts training/coaching sessions for newly public companies/executives and provides strategic thought leadership and counseling on a variety of IR topics, including CEO transitions, shareholder activism, transactions, earnings preparation, ongoing IR messaging, analyst day preparation and crisis communications.

Lisa is a certified public accountant and a member of the American Institute of CPAs and National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI), where she holds Investor Relations Charter certification.

Specializes in:

  • Integrated communications strategy development
  • Investor relations strategy/program development
  • M&A transactions, IPOs and restructurings
  • CEO and leadership communications
  • Strategic employee communications

Involved with:

  • National Investor Relations Institute – board member
  • Business Volunteers Unlimited – board member
  • GCP Equity & Inclusion Partnership – board member
  • Cleveland Leadership Center – board member
  • Cleveland’s 50 Club – member
  • Group Plan Commission – board member
  • Leadership Cleveland Graduate (2009)
  • Former board member of College Now, In Counsel with Women, CSU Visiting Committee for Business School, The Presidents’ Council, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, Towards Employment, Bloom Bakery and Saint Joe’s Academy
  • YWCA Greater Cleveland’s Women of Achievement Award Winner
  • Athena Award Finalist

Enjoys:

  • Travel
  • Cycling
  • Sewing, knitting and tapestry
  • Great conversations over a great meal