Diversity reboot

Charlene A. Wheeless, senior advisor for equity and justice at APCO Worldwide, is the former principal vice president of global corporate affairs for Bechtel Corporation. Ms. Wheeless was responsible for global communications, issues and reputation management, sustainability, stewardship and public affairs. She served on the company’s ethics and knowledge management committees, as well as the boards of the Bechtel PAC and Bechtel Group Foundation.

Before joining Bechtel in 2009, Ms. Wheeless was vice president of communications for the Intelligence and Information Systems (IIS) business unit of Raytheon Company as well as the site executive of its Falls Church, Va. facility. In these positions she oversaw global public relations, advertising, media relations, marketing communications, employee communications, and community relations and served as the lead executive, responsible for facility operations, security and quality audits, and employee morale.

Prior to her years with Raytheon, Ms. Wheeless was senior vice president of global communications and marketing for American Management Systems (AMS) and corporate vice president of communications at DynCorp. She also held executive and staff positions with PRC, Inc. (later acquired by Northrop Grumman Corporation), Steuart Petroleum Company, and IBM Corporation.

Ms. Wheeless was recently named by PRWeek magazine one of the 50 most influential PR professionals in the industry, for the third consecutive year.