NEW YORK — Citizen Relations has named Blair Arthur executive director of strategic planning. Arthur will lead the agency's strategic planning team to further its brand storytelling excellence through traditional, digital and social media. She will join Citizen's expanding senior leadership team and report to Nathan Friedman, the firm's US general manager. She was most recently at Access Emanate, where she founded their strategic planning function and created a proprietary process for the agency. Before that, she led research at Every Day with Rachael Ray and worked with IBM at Ogilvy & Mather. 

WASHINGTON, DC — APCO Worldwide has named Marcia Page, executive chair of Varde Partners and Peter Milton Sommerhauser, founding partner at Wing Capital Group, to its board of directors. They join APCO founder and executive chairman Margery Kraus, CEO Brad Staples, and Joseph Zimmel, former managing director at Goldman, Sachs and Co. as members of the board. APCO has also added four new members to its Global Leadership Team to help direct future growth for the firm. The new members include Robert Ardelt as managing director, Germany; Marc Johnson, global practice lead, digital; Kelly Williamson, managing director, Raleigh, NC and Agnieszka Yank, chief talent officer.

PHOENIX — Allison+Partners has promoted Lisa Schmidtke from senior vice president to general manager of the agency's Phoenix office. She will be responsible for business operations and growth, cultivating and managing a diverse group of talent and overseeing a portfolio of clients. Schmidtke has over 20 years experience in broadcast journalism, marketing and public relations. She currently drives key communications initiatives for clients including UPMC Enterprises, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and Partnership with Native Americans. 

NEW YORK — Ketchum has named Gabriel Araujo, EVP and creative director of Little George, Ketchum's hot creative shop in Brazil. He will take on expanded responsibilities as executive creative director, international, for the firm. As the agency's first roving creative consultant, he will join both client and new business teams to conceive and produce campaign leading ideas, branded content, advertising and product innovation. Araujo will report to Karen Strauss, partner and chief strategy and creativity officer.

NEW YORK — David Levine has been named the first chief operating officer of strategy communications and marketing firm BerlinRosen. He has served as deputy chief operating officer for Hillary for America, chief of staff at the Office of Administration in the Obama White House, and as the National Operations Director for Obama for America. Levine will oversee the firm's finance, HR and operations functions. 

BOSTON — Rasky Partners has announced that Robert Sherman and Ron Walker will join the firm as senior advisors. Sherman will play a key role in looking at strategic growth opportunities locally, nationally and internationally. Prior to this role, he served as the US Ambassador to Portugal, where he prioritized bilateral engagement and 21st century economic diplomacy. Walker will also play a significant role in business development and growth opportunities at the firm. He will be primarily assisting in growing the firm's client portfolio in financial services and workforce development. Prior to joining Rasky Partners, Walker served as the Massachusetts Secretary of Labor & Workforce Development. 

BEDMINSTER — MCS Healthcare Public Relations has hired Chad Hyett as executive vice president and Emily Dell as senior account supervisor. Hyett joins MCS from Porter Novelli, where he led digital programs across North America and worked to build the agency's digital capabilities. Dell joins the firm from Bliss Integrated Communication and has over 10 years of experience driving integrated programming on behalf of global healthcare clients. 

ANNAPOLIS — Crosby Marketing Communications has announced the hiring of Seth Emhoff, Mikel Drnec and Emily Stuart. Emhoff joins the agency as a contract and financial analyst and most recently served as a senior financial analyst at Orbital Sciences Corporation. Drnec is Crosby's newest social media specialist. Prior to this role, he was an Internet services manager for Knoah/Huawei Technologies, managing social media communities for the Fortune 100 company. Meanwhile, Stuart is an associate integration manager, who will manage communications programs for Military OneSource, the Department of Defense's flagship digital services platform that supports service members and their families. 

HUNTINGTON BEACH — PR Talent has hired Jaya Koilpillai Bohlmann to build its DC presence. Bohlmann brings over 20 years experience to the role, including serving as VP of corporate communications for Sodexo and MD of the corporate and financial practice for Burson-Marsteller. 

BALTIMORE – Marketing and communications firm Profiles, Inc. has appointed Bridget Forney as vice president. She rejoins the firm after a nearly five-year tenure with Profiles that began in 2008 when she managed several accounts, brands, partnerships and events. Prior to rejoining Profiles, Forney led regional and national marketing, PR and crisis communications programs as Kiddie Academy, an educational childcare leader.