CHICAGO — Walker Sands has promoted Andrew Cross to president. Cross (pictured) joined Walker Sands on the ground floor of the public relations department 11 years ago. Most recently, Cross led the agency’s public relations department, working closely with some of its biggest clients. In his role as president, Cross supports service teams across the agency’s core functions, including public relations, branding, creative services, demand generation, marketing strategy and web, while focusing on new business, strategic client support, and agency growth and development.

PORTLAND, OR — Finn Partners has named Shannon Riggs as managing partner of its Pacific Northwest strategic communications business unit. Riggs, a 16-year Finn veteran, succeeds Wendy Lane Stevens, who is retiring in September.

CHICAGO — Gretchen Muller has joined KemperLesnik as senior vice president, serving clients and teams as a senior leader in the public relations division. Muller most recently was a VP at Taylor Johnson PR, working with national and regional commercial real estate developers, investors, builders, architects and brokers.

WASHINGTON, DC — Tanisha Carino has joined Brunswick Group as a partner in Washington. Carino most recently served as a visiting fellow in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, focused on pandemic preparedness. Prior to that, she was executive VP and chief corporate affairs officer at Alexion Pharmaceuticals.

SEATTLE —Games industry veteran Casey Pelkey has joined Zebra Partners as chief operating officer. In this leadership role, Pelkey will guide day-to-day operations, and help strategically drive the company’s fast-growing business, brand, expertise and culture with Zebra Partners’ founders, Perrin Kaplan, Beth Llewelyn and Kelli Horner.

NEW YORK — Rally Point PR has hired Lisa Kurtz as a VP on its team of B2B tech specialists. Kurtz joins after more than six years at Clarity PR, where she served most recently as a vice president.

WASHINGTON — Longtime communications strategist Lindsay Kryzak and Hill veteran Caitlin Canter have joined Subject Matter. Kryzak will serve as senior VP of policy communications, ensuring enhanced collaboration amongst the firm’s government relations, creative and communications teams. Canter brings to the government relations team a specialization in healthcare, with additional expertise in tax and trade practice areas regarding issues involving the Ways & Means Committee, House Republican leadership and the House Republican Conference.