SAN FRANCISCO — Edelman has upped Aaron McLear from Western regional public affairs lead to head of the national practice.

As US public affairs chair, McLear will lead Edelman’s growing national public affairs practice, which provides issues management and public policy support to companies, non-profits and governments. He replaces Rob Rehg, who is now head of global client strategy.

McLear most recently served as managing director, public affairs and crisis for Edelman’s Western region, advising a range of clients on crises, corporate reputation and political issues. He is a key advisor on Edelman US partnership with the Gun Safety Alliance and has been the driving force behind the agency’s commitment to gun safety, including research on gun violence.

Earlier in his career, McLear worked for Uber, where he was director of corporate, internal and product communications and a public affairs director. He served as California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's press secretary before that.