SAN FRANCISCO—Burson-Marsteller has appointed Stephen Burns as managing director in the US public affairs and crisis practice. Based in Sacramento, he will lead the firm’s West Coast public affairs team and will have a strong focus on energy, the environment and technology.

Burns joins Burson-Marsteller from Chevron Corporation, where he spent more than 11 years in senior roles in government affairs; policy development and implementation; executive staffing; and corporate social responsibility and community investment.

Earlier in his career, Burns was the federal government affairs director for Enron Corporation, where he was responsible for federal advocacy on issues affecting Enron’s Broadband Services company and international projects. Prior to that, he co-founded the international energy task force of the 22-nation Pacific Economic Cooperation Council while he served as executive director of the PECC Energy Forum. 

He also was trade and economics program officer at the San Francisco-based Asia Foundation.