Cooper Tire appoints new chief of legal department

As of April 4, Stephen Zamansky will succeed Jim Kline in the position of vice president, general counsel and secretary at Cooper Tire & Rubber. Kline will retire on May 31, 2011 after leading Cooper’s legal department for eight years. In his new role, in which he reports directly to company chairman, CEO and president Roy Armes, Zamansky will oversee Cooper's legal affairs, environmental affairs, and corporate governance and compliance functions.

Zamansky joins Cooper from Essar Minerals Americas (former Trinity Coal Corporation), where he most recently served as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary. During the past ten years, he also served as consulting general counsel in his own legal and business consulting practice, in addition to serving as general counsel and secretary for Titan Propane and general counsel, secretary and senior vice president of corporate affairs for DSL.net, Inc. Zamansky received his Bachelor of Arts degree with honours from the University of Michigan and obtained his Juris Doctor degree from Boston College, where he graduated summa cum laude and served on the Boston College Law Review.

Commenting on the announcement, Roy Armes said “Steve’s legal and business acumen make him ideally suited for this important role. He is an extremely capable lawyer and an experienced business partner whose breadth of experience in several industries will be a great asset as Cooper continues to grow.”