Lauren Gillespie

LAUREN GILLESPIE

Design Assistant

LAUREN GILLESPIE

Design Assistant

Lauren is a creative and organizational designer with an understanding of the power and passion behind today’s design world. Designing across clients, Lauren works through different artistic mediums to fit every client’s needs. She believes that design can invoke an empowering link between brands and the everyday consumer. 

Lauren has worked with Vision360 Partners, a full service strategic communications firm where she focused on providing graphics for well-known organizations in the international airline industry and professional DC-focused markets. She currently attends George Washington University and is working towards a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design. She is also a published illustrator in Micheal Dow’s “Nurse Florence,” a series aimed to educate young readers about health terms.

WHY LAUREN BELONGS IN THE ROOM

01

She knows her creative tools.

Lauren has used her time in college and internships to explore and hone her skills in the Adobe Suite, Figma and other design softwares.

02

She is a productivity powerhouse.

Lauren has implemented a strong system of time management and project dedication to make sure her work is done on time and meets her high standard for quality.

03

She’s an open-minded innovator.

Drawing from her past strategic comms experience at Vision360 and tapping into her passions for art and exploration, Lauren’s design approach is informed by the creative world. Her fresh perspective helps her to craft impactful and cutting-edge work for clients across various industries.

GOOD TO KNOW

FAVORITE COUNTRIES:

Lauren has visited a lot of places over the past summers. Some of her favorites have been Córdoba, London, Paris and her most recent trip to Rome!

FAVORITE TV SHOW:

Over the Garden Wall, a comfy animated short-series, perfect for the spooky fall season.

FUN FACT

Lauren has a wide range of random animal facts she can list off. For example, did you know that common octopi can use their tentacles to walk on the ocean floor?

GISELLE VARRE

Communications Assistant

GISELLE VARRE

Communications Assistant

Giselle has a passion for making a strong impact on all she touches. She recently graduated from Butler University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communication: PR & Advertising and a concentration in Diverse Perspectives in Communications. Before coming to ROKK, Giselle stayed active on her campus as her student-run communications agency’s first Talent & Culture Director, overseeing the in-house team and working to cultivate internal and external agency relationships.  She also interned with the Indiana Supreme Court’s Office of Communication, Education and Outreach and served as the Vice President of Communications for her Black Student Union (BSU). 

She is a returning Communications Assistant at ROKK where she is eager to learn and be a helping hand to her client teams.

WHY GISELLE BELONGS IN THE ROOM

GOOD TO KNOW

FUN FACT

Giselle studied abroad in Ireland and has dreamt of living there ever since!

KRISTIN NOLT WINGARD

Senior Advisor

KRISTIN NOLT WINGARD

Senior Advisor

Kristin is an accomplished, seasoned business leader with more than 30 years of experience in demanding leadership public affairs roles in both the public and private sectors. 

She advises C-suite executives and companies on strategic communications, issues and reputation management, executive and company positioning, and leadership.

Prior to founding her own company, Kristin spent 14 years in top corporate affairs roles at The Walt Disney Company. She ran worldwide public affairs and communications for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts during one of its largest periods of growth and expansion, oversaw a team of 500 people and was a trusted advisor to two chairmen. 

At Disney, she developed multi-year strategies that positioned the brand, enhanced the company’s reputation both nationally and globally and drove sustainable business growth. She also spent eight years working on Shanghai Disney Resort, from market entry into mainland China and groundbreaking to the successful grand opening and first year of operations. 

Kristin was recruited to Disney from DC, where she spent 12 years in senior communications roles on and off Capitol Hill—working for a former governor, congressman, and a leading trade association. 

WHY KRISTIN BELONGS IN THE ROOM

GOOD TO KNOW

STEVE ROCHLIN

Senior Advisor- Social Impact

STEVE ROCHLIN

Senior Advisor- Social Impact

Steve has been at the core of the corporate Social Impact and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) movement for over two decades, helping make it the “overnight sensation” it is today.

Steve is founder and CEO of IMPACT ROI, a strategic management and research firm that helps clients achieve superior financial performance by achieving superior social and environmental performance.

As Senior Advisor, Steve supports clients in aligning their Social Impact/ESG approach with business strategy, KPIs and Public Affairs. He helps clients build high impact strategies that generate tangible outcomes for people, planet and profit.

WHY STEVE BELONGS IN THE ROOM

GOOD TO KNOW

RICH THAU

Senior Advisor- Research

RICH THAU

Senior Advisor- Research

Rich loves reading Tolstoy “because he gets inside people’s heads.” Which is exactly what he does testing and refining messages for clients.

As Senior Advisor for Research at ROKK, all Rich really has to do is make sure every client’s messaging works every time. A daunting task for many, but not for Rich. He’s curious, thoughtful and energetic—and he delivers every time.

WHY RICH BELONGS IN THE ROOM

04

Rich is a member of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association and sits on the advisory board for the ClearPath Foundation. Prior to co-founding the Generation X think tank Third Millennium in the 1990s, he was a senior editor at MagazineWeek, the trade magazine for the magazine industry.

GOOD TO KNOW

NEWS ABOUT RICH