News

Washington, D.C.–

ROKK Solutions, a bipartisan public affairs firm at the nexus of policy, politics and communications will have a community service partnership in 2022 with BeGreatDC, an expanding local non-profit.

BeGreatDC is a 501(c)(3) that uplifts and supports local marginalized groups through wellness, education, and community engagement initiatives. The organization focuses on creating service opportunities and other events that build a connection between those in need and those who have to give.  

“This partnership is an important opportunity for ROKK to give back to the community here in Washington and we are enthusiastic about building on our work together,” said Ron Bonjean, Co-founding Partner at ROKK Solutions. “BeGreatDC is a tremendous philanthropic organization that we were naturally drawn to because it is really making an inspiring difference in people’s lives.”

A DC public school community partner, BeGreatDC’s mission is to empower, educate, and engage the community while cultivating a unique culture of service and philanthropy. The organization’s programs include a quarterly GoGroceries activation that provides free groceries to one hundred families in need and their annual Laptops and Hotspots Drive that provides free laptops and internet access to DC students. ROKK Solutions was a sponsor of the 2021 Laptops and Hotspots Drive, and is currently participating in the annual Holiday Toy and Luggage Drive.

“We’re excited to work with ROKK Solutions in the coming year to advance some of our initiatives and programs in the community, ” said Rachael Payton, Founder and President of BeGreatDC. “A strong community needs strong collaboration for greater impact. Working with the energetic and passionate team at ROKK Solutions will give us the opportunity to help more of our DC neighbors in need.”

ROKK Solutions has recently undergone a strategic expansion, resulting in double-digit growth, a 360-degree integrated suite of capabilities and various accolades including two years on the Agency Elite 100 list and recognition from PR News Platinum Awards, PRovoke IN2 SABRES, PRovoke SABRE awards and the Bulldog PR awards. With in-house capabilities in digital and paid media, creative, crisis communications, social impact communications and more, ROKK is a sought-after agency for Fortune 100 organizations, nonprofits and associations looking to build relationships and impact change in Washington.

ROKK’s new, groundbreaking study suggests that not only is there strong bipartisan support for corporate efforts to address environmental, social and governance challenges, but that the bipartisan appeal of these initiatives dramatically increases among Americans under the age of 45. The Well News interviewed study authors Lindsay Singleton and Dr. Tessa Recendes to learn more. Read the article here.

The award-winning agency continues to grow its workforce and expand its integrated suite of capabilities

Washington, D.C.–ROKK Solutions, a bipartisan public affairs firm at the nexus of policy, politics and communications, is pleased to welcome Capitol Hill communicator Jake Wilkins to the firm as an Account Director.

Wilkins is a well-known communications strategist in Washington and was most recently the communications director for US Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND). He has previously held roles with the North Dakota Republican Party, the US Department of Agriculture and the Republican National Committee, as well as worked on several national political campaigns.

“It is an honor to be joining ROKK Solutions,” said Wilkins. “The firm’s leaders have put together one of Washington, DC’s premier public affairs agencies. I am excited to be a part of such an elite operation and to put my talents toward helping organizations achieve their goals.”

“We are pleased to welcome Jake to the ROKK team,” said Ron Bonjean, Co-Founding Partner. “Jake is a dynamic, approachable communicator and is popular among his former colleagues on Capitol Hill. He brings a nuanced, strategic understanding of the key issues affecting businesses across the country as we look to midterm elections in 2022, as well as strong positive relationships with the national media.”  

ROKK also welcomed two additional new team members:

Erickson Foster – Joining the team as a Multimedia Designer, Foster brings a wide range of expertise in visual storytelling and experience across sectors including private industry, military, politics and government.

John Fisher – ROKK’s newest Account Executive, Fisher comes from the NBC News’ communications and public relations team, where he worked around-the-clock national campaign coverage, five Presidential debates and a town hall with a sitting President.

“As ROKK continues to grow, it is imperative that we deliver on what is most important for our clients – teams with diverse viewpoints and experiences, a wide range of skill sets and the ability to take on everything from hyper-targeted media relations campaigns to multi-million dollar digital advertising initiatives. Jake, Erickson and John are welcome additions to the team, and we are excited to work with them,” said ROKK Partner Kristen Hawn.

ROKK has undergone a strategic expansion over the past 36 months which has resulted in double-digit growth, a 360-degree integrated suite of capabilities and many accolades including; two years on the Agency Elite 100 list, a Platinum dotCOMM award and recognition from PR News Platinum Awards, PRovoke IN2 SABRES, PRovoke SABRE awards and the Bulldog PR awards. With in-house capabilities in digital and paid media, creative, crisis communications, social impact communications and more, ROKK is a sought-after agency for Fortune 100 organizations, nonprofits and associations looking to build relationships and create change in Washington.

Washington, D.C. –ROKK Solutions, a bipartisan public affairs firm at the nexus of policy, politics and communications has added Michelle Anderson to its senior leadership team as Head of Marketing and Development.

Anderson has been a senior advisor for ROKK since April 2020, leading the strategic marketing efforts for the firm. Her newly created role will align with ROKK’s next phase of growth, as she oversees marketing, business development and talent and culture for the growing agency. 

“Michelle has been a fantastic addition to the team, and we are happy to have her talents at ROKK full-time,” said Co-Founding Partner Rodell Mollineau. “As we move into the next phase of our growth, delivering the best thinking and strategic execution for our clients means having someone focused not just on bringing in new business, but on talent and culture initiatives. Michelle’s background and personality are a great fit for this critical role at ROKK.”

Anderson brings over 15 years of strategic integrated marketing expertise, with a focus on business growth and development. Before joining Spectrum Science to build their internal marketing function, she spent six years at Capital One where she focused on small business credit card marketing, including building and launching the SPARK business card. Her experiences in financial services and healthcare also include time spent at T. Rowe Price, where she focused on advisor marketing. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with dual concentrations in International Marketing and International Management from the Kogod School of Business at American University. 

“It’s exciting to work with an agency that has invested so much in their people and in building their in-house capabilities,” said Anderson. “ROKK has both the strategic thinking and the tactical execution skills to handle multi-million dollar digital campaigns, viral media campaigns, sensitive crisis initiatives and everything in between. I’m looking forward to contributing to this next phase of their growth.”

ROKK has undergone a strategic expansion over the past 36 months, resulting in double-digit growth, a 360-degree integrated suite of capabilities and various accolades including two years on the Agency Elite 100 list and recognition from PR News Platinum Awards, PRovoke IN2 SABRES, PRovoke SABRE awards and the Bulldog PR awards. With in-house capabilities in digital and paid media, creative, crisis communications, social impact communications and more, ROKK is a sought-after agency for Fortune 100 organizations, nonprofits and associations looking to build relationships and impact change in Washington.

Washington, D.C.- ROKK Solutions, a bipartisan public affairs firm at the nexus of policy, politics and communications has welcomed Genevieve Wilkins to its executive leadership team as Senior Vice President of Creative.

With over 20 years of experience in design and creative direction, Wilkins has worked for creative  powerhouses including Grey Advertising and Arnold Worldwide. No stranger to public affairs, Wilkins has served as Managing Director of Creative at DCI Group for the past 8 years.  She brings an ambitious creative vision for expanding ROKK’s creative capabilities into platforms including video, mobile, and emerging social channels.  

“Genevieve’s passion for creative and it’s ability to drive successful client outcomes is contagious,” said Rodell Mollineau, Co-founding Partner at ROKK. “We have seen that strategic, well-executed creative is key to powerful campaigns, and we are excited to partner with Genevieve to deliver even more of that for our clients.”

The ROKK creative team has a disciplined focus on integrated campaign creative, especially in digital channels. With Wilkins at the helm, the firm is poised to grow its capabilities in line with her vision of a team of highly creative visual storytellers.

“ROKK is going through an exciting phase of growth, and the work they are doing is truly inspiring,” said Wilkins. “I am confident that having an innovative, best-in-class creative team will be an asset for both ROKK’s existing clients and new clients who are looking for strategic public affairs thinking paired with hard-hitting tactical executions.”

Wilkins earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Her portfolio includes work with brands including, but not limited to, JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Swissotel, Verizon, DoorDash, and Exxon. Her work has been recognized by the Communicator Awards, the Hermes Awards, and the International dotCOMM Awards, among others. 

ROKK has undergone a strategic expansion over the past 36 months which has resulted in double digit growth, a 360-degree integrated suite of capabilities, and a suite of accolades including two years on the Agency Elite 100 list and recognition from PR News Platinum Awards, PRovoke IN2 SABRES, PRovoke SABRE awards, and the Bulldog PR awards. With in-house capabilities in digital and paid media, creative, crisis communications, social impact communications and more, ROKK is a sought-after agency for Fortune 100 organizations, nonprofits and associations looking to build relationships and impact change in Washington.

Washington, D.C. – ROKK Solutions, a bipartisan public affairs firm at the nexus of policy, politics, and communications, has partnered with IMPACT ROI to launch STAR (Social Threat Analysis & Response), a proprietary program for Fortune 500 companies, trade associations and other top-tier businesses to assess and respond to social threats in the marketplace.  

A majority of Americans now expect companies to lead on the social issues that matter most to them. With incidents of social justice, equity, and activism occurring almost daily, these social threats comprise a new level of enterprise risk. The STAR program focuses on identifying the specific social threats that may require a response from an organization as they evolve, and guides decision-makers through a rigorous framework for determining if, when, and how to respond. The framework is custom-built, providing a tailored approach for each organization’s unique circumstances.

“Organizations need to be consistent in living and communicating their values,” said ROKK Co-founding Partner Rodell Mollineau. “The STAR framework is built to facilitate objective decision-making in highly matrixed organizations, driving consistent and proactive action if and when it makes sense. It’s an essential tool not just for public affairs, but across government relations, diversity, equity & inclusion, marketing and even finance functions.”

“Businesses that are managing social risks well have seen significant increases in their financial performance, from increases in share price and productivity to reductions in turnover,” said Steve Rochlin, CEO of IMPACT ROI, referencing findings from his firm’s Project ROI Research Series. “We are at a transformative moment for businesses, and STAR provides senior leadership the decisive counsel it needs to act in a financially-forward way.”

ROKK Solutions and IMPACT ROI are long-time partners, with Rochlin serving as the strategic advisor to ROKK’s Social Impact Communications practice. ROKK has undergone a tactical expansion over the past 36 months resulting in double-digit growth and a 360-degree integrated suite of capabilities designed to service the evolving needs of clients in the public affairs marketplace. The agency has been recognized as a Public Affairs Agency of the Year by PRovoke Media, a Small Agency of the Year by PR News, and is on the 2020 Agency Elite 100 list from PR News. For more information on STAR, please visit rokksolutions.com/star.

Washington, D.C. – ROKK Solutions, a bipartisan public affairs firm at the nexus of policy and politics, is pleased to announce that Varuna Bhatia, a well known communicator who worked for years in the cable news broadcast industry has joined the firm as Vice President.

Bhatia comes to ROKK Solutions from DCG Communications, where she worked on project management, media relations, event planning, social media and newsletter production for multiple federal agencies.  She brings a strong background in media relations, having previously worked at Fox News Channel as an Assignment Editor and other duties for 12 years.  In this role, her responsibilities spanned reacting to breaking news and coordinating live news coverage; planning logistics for multiple major events; managing daily assignments of field producers, photographers and audio technicians; blogging news stories for FoxNews.com as well as serving as an off-air breaking news reporter for the network.  

“I’m so thrilled to be joining the team at ROKK,” added Bhatia. “I look forward to using my years of experience working with the media and strategic insights to help ROKK’s clients achieve their goals.”

ROKK also welcomed additional new team members and promoted another from within: 

Brigitta Gegenheimer– As a sign of ROKK’s growing creative capabilities for its clients, Gegenheimer adds firepower to the firm’s design team, bringing with her digital media, website design and significant expertise in motion graphics.

Melvetta Dockery– Joining the firm as Office Manager, Dockery draws from her experience running offices such as the American Banker Association. In her new role, she will support all administrative functions and firm operations. 

Briana Pittelli– Pittelli joined ROKK in March, 2019 as an Senior Account Executive, applying her healthcare expertise to the firm’s work for one of the largest healthcare providers in the country.  Briana will continue to support ROKK’s growing roster of public affairs clients in her new capacity as an Account Director.  

“We are pleased to welcome and celebrate these stand-out team members.  We are proud to attract top talent in the public affairs arena and fortunate that we can continue to solve our clients’ toughest challenges, especially in the COVID environment” said Co-founder and Partner Rodell Mollineau. 

As a premier public relations firm located in Washington, DC, ROKK Solutions continues to grow its service offerings across multiple platforms, including digital, creative and coalition management, as well as in a number of industry verticals related to healthcare, energy and climate.

ROKK Solutions announced it was formally teaming with long-time dial-tester Engagious on a co-marketing agreement to pitch advocacy clients on a way to navigate the new Washington. The announcement comes after the two shops had teamed during the pandemic on the Back to Normal Barometer, which used focus groups to gauge consumer sentiment. “Strategic communications complimented with hard data regarding consumer attitudes is the trend that we’re heading in as communications consultants,” Ron Bonjean, who co-founded ROKK Solutions, told C&E.

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Washington, D.C. – ROKK Solutions, a bipartisan public affairs firm at the nexus of policy and politics, today welcomed Rachael Payton as a Senior Account Executive.

Payton comes from BCW Global, where she was a part of the 2020 Census integrated communications campaign. In that capacity, she worked with national partners to  emphasize the importance of the decennial census and encourage U.S. residents to respond. Prior to working with BCW Global, Rachael has created and implemented public relations strategies for companies in various industries including technology, finance, and mental health.

“With a background in public relations and a passion for philanthropy, Rachael’s unique perspective will be a strong complement to the ROKK team,” said ROKK Solutions partner Rodell Mollineau.

Payton is also the founder of BeGreatDC, a local nonprofit dedicated to health and wellness, youth education and community engagement in Washington, D.C. Under her leadership in 2020, BeGreatDC responded to the pandemic by putting nearly $10,000 worth of resources back into the community to support COVID-19 relief efforts and to provide students with technology for virtual learning. Before founding BeGreatDC in 2017, her philanthropic leadership efforts began as the Director of Communications for the Northern Virginia Urban League Young Professionals Network.

Payton earned her Bachelor of Science in Communication from Old Dominion University. Additionally, she is a 2013 alumna of the Washington Media Institute where she developed a mature understanding of media relations while studying the intersection of communications, politics, and journalism. 

“We are thrilled to have Rachael join our growing team dedicated to providing the best communications practices on behalf of our clients,” said partner Ron Bonjean ROKK has undertaken a strategic expansion over the past 24 months, resulting in double digit growth and a strengthening of capabilities across its offerings, including paid advertising, campaign management, cybersecurity communications, and social impact communications. 

About ROKK Solutions

ROKK Solutions is a full-service, bipartisan public affairs firm at the nexus of policy, politics and communications. Having spent years counseling companies, trade associations, coalitions and non-profits, our team possesses decades of senior-level public service experience, which allows us to offer our clients a true understanding of the policymaking process and the media strategies needed to create a climate for success. And unlike many other firms, we bring a bipartisan approach to each client engagement because our experience shows it is the most effective way to ensure a clients’ objectives are achieved.  

For more information on ROKK Solutions, please contact Ron Bonjean at ron@rokksolutions.com.

Washington, D.C. –ROKK Solutions, a bipartisan public affairs firm at the nexus of policy and communications, announced today that it has formed a strategic partnership with IMPACT ROI.  Through this partnership, CEO Steve Rochlin will serve as a senior advisor for ROKK’s Social Impact Communications practice. Rochlin brings over 20 years of experience in sustainability and corporate responsibility (CR) to the firm’s newest practice area, which is led by Managing Director Lindsay Singleton.

“Companies are engaging in meaningful CR efforts at unprecedented levels, but few organizations are communicating those efforts to legislators and change makers in Washington,” said Rochlin. “ROKK Solutions’ bipartisan perspective and insider knowledge of the D.C. landscape makes them uniquely suited to fill that role and maximize return on investment for their clients.”

Rochlin is Founder and CEO of IMPACT ROI, a consultancy focused on helping organizations achieve superior social, environmental, and financial performance. As the lead author of the acclaimed Project ROI research series, Rochlin pioneered a proven pathway for companies to deliver sustainable and collaborative impact that is also profitable.

“We are thrilled to have Steve and IMPACT ROI working with us,” said Singleton. “As a leading voice in the CR and sustainability space, his expertise will provide a unique and welcome perspective as we work with clients to incorporate social impact into their public affairs strategies.”

The launch of ROKK’s Social Impact Communications practice last month follows the strategic expansion of the firm over the past 2 years, which has resulted in double digit growth and a 360-degree integrated suite of capabilities designed to take on some of the toughest public affairs challenges in the marketplace today.  For more information, please visit rokksolutions.com/our-services/sic/.