WASHINGTON — Page Society chair Charlene Wheeless has been named APCO Worldwide’s senior advisor for equity and justice, assuming the role two months after joining the firm’s International Advisory Council.

In the new global role, Wheeless will serve as a senior leader and advisor to APCO and its clients on issues of equity, justice, diversity and inclusion.

She will mentor, train and lead both internal and client-facing teams on these issues, as well as work directly with APCO clients on corporate purpose, crisis and issues management, internal communications, organizational change and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Wheeless joins APCO after more than a decade as head of corporate affairs at Bechtel Corporation, where she helped strengthen the brand through a more proactive reputation management strategy that relied heavily on communications. She started her two-year tenure as chair of Page’s board of trustees at the start of this year.

APCO founder and executive chairman Margery Kraus said: “Inclusivity is one of APCO’s most important values and this year, we’ve seen a renewed global focus on fighting inequity and injustice. We’ve been actively advocating for these values, both internally and with our clients for many years, but clearly more needs to be done.

"This is why we created a role focused on driving equity and justice in partnership with clients, within our own culture and in the communities in which we operate. Finding ways to address racial and systemic inequalities must be an integral part of every company’s corporate strategy. Now is the time to act, and Charlene bolsters an already-strong group of experts at APCO dedicated to helping organizations seize this moment and make meaningful change.”