Catherine Maxey

Catherine Maxey began her career with The Dow Chemical Company in 1988 and held a variety of assignments in public relations, corporate communications, marketing communications, media relations, community relations, and issues management. In 1999, she was named to lead the communications and public affairs activities for Dow’s acquisition of Union Carbide. From 2001 to 2008, she led communications for various business units, eventually managing a team of 110 communications professionals who provided marketing communications, issues management and employee communications to all Dow businesses globally. In 2008, she was named Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications for K-Dow Petrochemicals, a planned JV that was later cancelled. In 2009, she was named to lead the communications and public affairs activities for the divestiture of Styron from Dow, and its formation as an independent company. During her tenure at Dow, she served for on Dow’s Public Issues Strategy Board, which has oversight for issues management across the corporation. She was an elected member of the board of DowPAC, the political action committee for the employees of Dow, and served as the chairman of the National Steering Team for DowPAC from 2005 to 2010.

Maxey joined Styron upon its sale from Dow to Bain Capital Partners in June 2010, and was named Vice President of Public Affairs, Government Affairs and Business Intelligence for Styron. She serves on the Executive Leadership Team of the company and reports to the CEO. She is responsible for branding and reputation, internal and external communications, crisis management, public policy and issues management, and business intelligence for the company globally.

Maxey is accredited in public relations (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America and has received a number of professional awards, including a PRSA Silver Anvil, IPRA Golden World Award, and SABRE award. She is an alumna of Leadership Midland, a past president of the White Pine Chapter of PRSA, a former board member of the Literacy Council of Midland County, and a board member of Midland Tomorrow. She was elected to the Arthur W. Page Society in 2011.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism/Science Writing and a minor in Chemistry from Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA). She completed the course on Transformational Leadership at the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Virginia. In 2006, she received Dow’s Genesis Award, Dow’s top recognition for outstanding people leadership.

She resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has one daughter.