Sheryl Sandberg, the Google sales star who left the search giant in March to help Mark Zuckerberg helm Facebook, seems to be making a tradition out of raiding her former employer. The latest Google alumnus to join Facebook is Elliot Schrage, who previously ran public relations for Google.

"This is a really important role for us and one that we've been trying to find the right person for a while," Zuckerberg wrote in a memo obtained by BoomTown. "Elliot's role will be critical to helping us scale based on our culture that values transparency, openness and honest internal communications."

Schrage's departure marks the latest effort by Facebook to pluck key Google executives, and in the process recast itself as an internet leader.

Schrage, who spent two years at Google, will certainly be a boon to Facebook, which has more than its share of PR flaps as the company struggles to find a workable ad model.

Google, which appears to have a knack for weathering large and small controversies relatively unscathed, hasn't named a successor.