Former auto industry executive and crisis communications expert Jason Vines, a 1982 Central College graduate, returns to campus Dec. 10-11 as part of a promotional tour for his new book.
A Pella native, Vines will offer an insider’s look at how he helped the Chrysler Group and Ford Motor Company navigate communications crises. The former top communications executive at both firms as well as for Nissan North America, Vines recently authored “What Did Jesus Drive?” and will speak Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. in the Boat-Moore-Weller Rooms of the Maytag Student Center. A reception and book signing will follow, with another book signing Thursday, Dec. 11 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Central Spirit Shoppe, also in the Maytag Student Center.
A Des Moines book signing is set for Dec. 11 from 5-7 p.m. at Beaverdale Books at 2629 Beaver Avenue.
Vines combines insight with his infectious wit — he performed on the side as a stand-up comedian for several years and even wrote jokes for iconic former Chrysler chief Lee Iacocca. He was named Top PR Professional in the industry in 1999, 2005 and 2006 by Automotive News. He also counseled General Motors on issues surrounding the Chevy Volt, was immersed in the Ford Explorer/Firestone tire controversy and helped Chrysler successfully refute allegations of sudden acceleration with the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was exonerated by the National Highway Safety Administration.
In 1997, with alarming reports of small children being injured or killed by front-seat air bags, Vines helped successfully orchestrate a safety campaign aimed at moving children to back seats, with the tagline, “The back is where it’s at.”
Vines’ book title is partially tied to one of the only jobs he held outside of the auto industry. He was called in to assist Zondervan Publishing, a Grand Rapids, Mich. Christian book publisher dealing with fallout from printing an updated version of the NIV Bible that was enduring heavy criticism.
Vines is now an independent communications and government affairs consultant specializing in crisis management, reputation management, brand rehabilitation, product launch and automotive issues.
A hit with critics — The book is faring well on the business charts and getting enthusiastic reviews.
“For anyone wishing to know what it’s like to be a corporate first responder to public relations disasters, Jason Vines has just written a definitive account,” according to a recent Fortune magazine review by Doron Levin. The Fortune review notes that as Chrysler was struggling to stay afloat in the 1980s, transmission problems surfaced with the company’s top-selling minivan. “Vines and his colleagues urged a ‘customers first’ program to be open, honest and to replace every defective transmission, no matter the cost, helping avert bankruptcy,” Levin wrote.
Byron Reimus, a management consultant for Fortune 500 corporate communications offices, called Vines refreshingly open. Reimus wrote that “…what makes this book invaluable is that he delivers by far the most authentic—candid, insightful, personality-rich…insider accounts of life at the top of Fortune 500 corporate communications in recent memory… No book, conference agenda, white paper or serious discussion about the future of corporate communications…will be complete without a reading of Jason Vines’ story first.”
Prominent Democratic campaign strategist Joe Trippi is also a fan. “How I wish as the candidates I worked for screamed…or gaffed their way into crisis, I had called on Jason Vines,” he said.
At Central Vines majored in economics and communication/theatre. He received a master’s degree in labor and industrial relations from Michigan State University before landing at Chrysler in 1984.
Vines’ campus events are free and open to the public.
