The country’s No. 2 tax preparation firm has hired a Nashville resident to be its senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service says Michael Williams will have overall responsibility for the strategic marketing of its tax services, which span the country with more than 6,000 offices, most of them franchised.

“We are excited to have Mike Williams join our senior management team in this vital role,” said President and CEO Philip Sanford. “Mike’s extensive experience in senior marketing positions in franchise businesses, and his record of success in brand positioning, market segmentation, creative and marketing resource allocation, will be a significant contributor to the achievement of our goal to attract new clients, retain existing clients and enhance our market share.”

Williams takes over from Debra Dowd, who helped the company reposition itself after exiting from a bankruptcy reorganization. He has almost 20 years of marketing experience, including as CMO at Steak ’n Shake, senior VP of marketing at Nashville-based auto insurer Direct General and VP of marketing at restaurant chain Krystal. Most recently, he has been running signage and consulting ventures.

“I am thrilled to have this opportunity to bring my expertise to the Jackson Hewitt team and to drive how we market our brand to new and returning customers,” Williams said. “The tax industry is one with both tremendous excitement and opportunity, and I look forward to enhancing how we attract and serve our clients.”