Blogger Bios
Lisa Christenson | Brittany Swarts | Jamie Guse | Michael Keller | Carolyn Kidder | Julie Townsend | Dean Peters
Lisa Christenson – Senior Communications Manager
I’m the Senior Communications Manager at the corporate offices and have been with the company for 17 years. My main priority is managing the Dairy Queen® corporate publication that is distributed to an audience of 8,000; mostly franchisees, corporate personnel and DQ® vendors.
Favorite DQ® Food and Treats: Chicken Strip Basket with BBQ dipping sauce. Caramel and Hot Fudge Sundae, although I’ve never tried a Blizzard® Treat I didn’t like.
Favorite Web Sites: Dairy Queen and I also go to People Magazine to read celebrity news.
Favorite Blog: I read blogs written by family and friends to stay up-to-date with what’s new.
Brittany Swarts – Associate Communications Manager
Favorite DQ® Treat: Mint Oreo® Blizzard® Treat, or basically any other Blizzard® flavor!
Favorite Web site: It’s hard to pick just one, but a few times a day I’ll check Star Tribune for local news and NY Times for national/world news.
Favorite Blog: Any of the blogs at Runners World. I’m an avid runner, so I like to read about what’s going on in the running world.
Jamie Guse – Web Site Manager
I’m the Web Site Manager for American Dairy Queen Corporation (ADQ), which entails managing all aspects from project management to creating Web pages, e-mails, blog content, and podcasts for everything that falls under the ADQ umbrella from DairyQueen.com to internal sites.
Favorite DQ® Treat: Cookie Dough Blizzard® Treat, and a close second is the Waffle Bowl with Cookie Dough on it!
Favorite Website: ESPN and my iGoogle which holds all my favorite things from RSS feeds to a virtual aquarium.
Favorite Blog: Layers Magazine – It’s the everything Adobe Blog; yes I’m a web geek!!!
Michael Keller – Chief Brand Officer
Michael Keller, Chief Brand Officer, is responsible for the marketing, brand, concept and product strategies for Dairy Queen in the U.S., Canada and International. Keller began his career with IDQ in 2001. Prior to that, he worked for Jamba Juice, Inc., Homestore.com, Koo Koo Roo, Baskin Robbins USA, Nestle Chocolate Co. and Bain & Co.
Carolyn Kidder
I work in our Communications Department and I absolutely love my job! I connect with consumers from all over the world and find out what it is they love about Dairy Queen® restaurants and how we can make their experiences better. I have been with the DQ® system for over six years.
Favorite DQ® Product: I love hamburgers and DQ® GrillBurgers® are the best! Which sweet treat is my favorite depends on the day, the moment, which way the wind is blowing, how the planets are aligned….ha-ha!
Favorite Website: I love the Food Network; I even have my own recipe box there. I use Google for everything and I love their igoogle features!
Favorite Blog: My favorite blogs are those created by family members and friends so I can keep up on everyone’s news!
Julie Townsend—Communications Specialist
I help the Dairy Queen® home office communicate with DQ® franchisees across the U.S. and Canada through mailings, e-mails, electronic newsletters, the DQ® franchisee website, and even podcasts.
Favorite DQ® Treat: I love a sundae with cherry topping. And every once in a while, on really special occasions, I’ll indulge in a banana split.
Favorite Website: Thanks to my kids, I’ve recently become hooked on Facebook.
Favorite Blog: I’m a big Minnesota Twins fan, so I read A Fan’s View from Section 220: every day. I also read Cake Wrecks for fun, and Gawker whenever I want to get my snark on.
Dean Peters – Communications/PR “Wonk”
Time in the DQ® system: Approximately 17 to 21 years…depending upon who you ask (it’s a long story.)
Favorite DQ® Treat: Mocha Chip Blizzard® Treat (shhhh…we don’t make them anymore).
Favorite Web site: iTunes (does that count??)
Favorite Blog: Don’t currently have one…when I do, you’ll be the first to know.
