A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, Kevin Bakewell is the former Senior Vice President and Chief Public Affairs Officer for AAA - The Auto Club Group, the second largest AAA club in North America serving 10 million members in eleven states and two US Territories. He retired in January of 2019 after 45 years of service and has since transitioned into the independent practitioner space as principal of Bakewell Public Relations LLC. Kevin’s responsibilities with AAA included oversight of The Auto Club Group’s public and media relations, community relations, government relations, corporate social responsibility, traffic safety advocacy and driver education programs that supported the club’s mission and commitment to members, communities and the traveling public at large. In 2010 Kevin founded, and until his retirement chaired, the Auto Club Group Traffic Safety Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to reducing traffic deaths, injuries and crashes within The Auto Club Group’s territory. An accredited public relations executive, Kevin’s clients include H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute – US News & World Report’s top ranked cancer institute in the Southeast US – where he is providing strategic communications counsel and support for state legislation to increase funding for cancer treatment, prevention and research. Kevin is passionate about supporting nonprofits, and presently serves as board chair for Preserve Vision Florida and on the executive boards for Boy Scouts of America, Greater Tampa Bay Area Council and the Suncoast Safety Council. He and his wife, Debbie, were “rival high school sweethearts” and have been married for 42 years. They have two married daughters, one son and four grandchildren, and reside in Clearwater, Florida.