The Greater Des Moines Partnership has hired Sophia Ahmad as vice president of public relations. Ahmad has served as director of marketing and public relations at the Des Moines Symphony & Academy since 2011, and brings with her a wealth of communications knowledge and high-level performance in public and media relations. Prior to her time with the Des Moines Symphony & Academy, Ahmad was the first digital reporter for The Des Moines Register and spearheaded live coverage of Central Iowa’s arts and entertainment scene while establishing herself as an active media personality. A 2015 graduate of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute’s Community Leadership Program, Ahmad volunteers in the community through the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute and the Children’s Cancer Connection, and serves on the piano faculty at the Des Moines Symphony Academy. In the newly created position, she will report to Chief Communications Officer Tiffany Tauscheck, and begins her new role Sept. 30.