Burson-Marsteller appointed Nicole Cornish its chief operating officer (COO) for its U.S. region. Prior to this appointment, Cornish was chief executive officer (CEO) of Direct Impact, Burson-Marsteller’s grassroots operation, as well as an executive vice president, U.S. region, for Burson-Marsteller.

As COO, Cornish will focus on resource management and operations for the U.S. region and will place particular emphasis on talent retention and recruitment.

As part of this transition, Connie Partoyan will become president of Direct Impact, where she will oversee day-to-day operations, manage the new business development process, lead key client accounts and serve as primary liaison for Direct Impact’s national grassroots field network. Previously, Partoyan served for five years as executive vice president for Direct Impact, providing senior client leadership for some of the firm’s largest clients in addition to playing an instrumental role in new business strategy and development.

Direct Impact is in the process of evaluating candidates for CEO. Until a successor is announced, Cornish will remain closely involved with firm’s leadership and engaged in key client relationships to ensure a smooth transition.

Both Cornish and Partoyan will be based in D.C.