“Chief Courage Officer”

Tina Kozak is the first woman and only the third person to hold the CEO position in Franco’s history. In early 2024, as part of an ownership transition between Tina and former Chairman Dan Ponder, Tina became majority shareholder and owner of Franco.

Her career highlights span a variety of areas from client service and industry innovation to organizational culture and empowering women.

As Franco’s CEO, she leads the company in its values, culture and strategic vision. One of metro Detroit’s most respected crisis communications strategists, Tina counsels a range of clients in communications strategy, change management and community relations. Tina challenges clients to think differently about communications and seeks to influence organizational performance, not just tell stories.

Driving change in a decades-old business is challenging, but Tina has made it her mission to honor Franco’s legacy while staying ahead of the relevance curve. Under her leadership, Franco has added services and talent to evolve the agency from traditional public relations to integrated communications, leading to double-digit growth in revenue and employees.

Tina is passionate about mental health and women’s issues. She works hard to set an example for those around her to practice self-care, vulnerability and reflection.

Tina loves Detroit. The city’s perpetual resilience is a major source of inspiration for her and her work. You can often find Tina taking time to reflect and refresh on Detroit’s Belle Isle, alongside her husband and two daughters.

Tina’s dedication to her community is reflected in her charitable work with nonprofits including Life Remodeled which supports Detroit neighborhoods and Michigan Women Forward, where she serves as business coach and mentor for female entrepreneurs.

Before joining Franco in 2007, Tina was the global communications manager at auto supplier Metaldyne Corp. (now part of American Axle) where she managed strategic communications plans across an international company with $2 billion in revenue and 7,500 employees in 14 countries.

Tina holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wayne State University. She is also a graduate of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Leadership Detroit XXXIII and was recognized as a Crain’s Detroit Business 40 under 40 honoree.