Two top California policy mavens are starting up a new political advisory firm, the RBW Group.
California natives Cole Rojewski and Todd Willens joined together announced the new federal affairs and strategic communications practice Wednesday.
Rojewski was one of the longest serving chiefs of staff to House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Kay Granger (R–TX).
Granger, a likely lock for the House Appropriations Committee gavel if Congress changes hands to the Republicans in January, has notoriously had difficulty keeping chiefs of staff. Her office regularly boasted
Rojewski, who is best known around the San Joaquin Valley as a top advisory to former Rep. Devin Nunes (R–Tulare) and chief of staff to Rep. David Valadao (R–Hanford), became one of a handful of chiefs of staff to stick with the Granger, top Republican appropriator in the House, for more than a year.
The Fresno State alum maintains strong ties to Granger and her staff, translating to enhanced abilities to shepherd appropriations requests through Capitol Hill.
Rojewski also served as transition advisor to Rep. Connie Conway (R–Tulare) after her election to succeed Nunes.
“RBW Group is committed to providing principled advocacy, well-informed strategy, and responsive and timely results for our clients,” Rojewski said. “We intersect federal public policy and strategic communications, which allows us to see a full picture of the policy-making landscape and execute a winning strategy to move messages to the right people, at the right time, in the right direction.”
Willens, the former chief of staff for the Department of the Interior, previously founded Potomac Consulting, LLC, and said the new firm will offer appropriations, energy, natural resources and interior expertise at the start.
“We are thrilled to launch RBW Group and will be providing our clients high-quality service that is shaped from our first-hand experiences on Capitol Hill and in the Administration,” Willans said. “In today’s environment, organizations must marry strategic communications with traditional lobbying to deliver policy successes in Washington.”
Rojewski will head up the appropriation and strategic communications practices for RBW Group.
Willens will lead the energy and natural resources practice and served in the last two Republican Administrations, including the latest as the Chief of Staff for the Department of the Interior.
“I’ve known Cole for over a decade – his work ethic and political instincts would make him a valuable confidant to anyone looking to navigate Washington and Congress,” Nunes said.
Valadao added, “Cole has been one of my closest friends and advisors for many years and was a critical asset to my team during my time in Congress. His deep knowledge of congressional operations and the appropriations process, in combination with his keen political intuition, certainly sets him apart. I look forward to seeing his future success.”
