About Washington Strategy Group

Washington Strategy Group is a strategic advisory firm specializing in national security and foreign policy. We tailor our work to meet each client’s objectives by providing support across all sectors of influence in Washington, including government affairs, public relations, and strategic advocacy.

Washington Strategy Group is a boutique advisory firm specializing in foreign policy. We tailor our work to meet each of our client’s needs by providing support across all sectors of influence in Washington through government affairs, public relations, and strategic advocacy activities.

Our Strategic Partners

Valcour
Transnational Strategy Group
Democracy Partners
Global Peace PAC

Valcour
Transnational Strategy Group
Democracy Partners
Global Peace PAC

Our Strategic Partners

Valcour

Transnational Strategy Group

Democracy Partners

Global Peace PAC

Meet the Washington Strategy Group Team

Joel Rubin

President

Bio

Joel Rubin

President

Joel Rubin is a prominent foreign policy expert, legislative strategist, media commentator, and Jewish community leader with nearly three decades of experience in Washington.

Joel served with distinction in government in both the Bush and Obama Administrations, rising to the level of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs, where he led the State Department’s work with the U.S. House of Representatives. He was also a senior U.S. Senate foreign policy advisor, winning the Congressional Staffer of the Year award from the Military Officers Association of America. Earlier in his career he was a Foreign Affairs Officer in the State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs and Political-Military Affairs Bureaus, during which time he won the State Department’s Superior Honor Award. He began his career as a Presidential Management Fellow.

Joel is also a prominent media commentator, sought-after frequently by both national and international outlets. He has appeared on television more than 2,000 times on both American – CNN, FOX, MS NOW, Newsmax, NewsNation – and international outlets, such as i24 and the BBC, for whom he is a contributor. He’s also a political columnist for The Times of Israel and has written extensively about politics and foreign policy for The Hill, Foreign Policy, and Axios. He maintains a strong network of media contacts throughout Washington and New York, is often quoted by the media, has an extensive social media presence, and is the Author of the best-selling Substack newsletter The Briefing Book.

Lastly, Joel is a leading voice in Washington’s foreign policy, Jewish, and political communities, having been the Executive Director of the American Jewish Congress, the Policy Director of Ploughshares Fund, and a Board Member of the Jewish Electorate Institute. He began his career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica and earned a joint Master of Science in Public Policy and Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Near Eastern Studies from Brandeis University.

Robert Bacon

Senior Advisor

Bio

Robert Bacon

Senior Advisor

Robert Crumpler Bacon, Esq. is a foreign policy expert specializing in law and government relations. He served as Senior Advisor at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) under the Biden-Harris Administration. Previously, he was Senior Congressional Advisor in the State Department’s Bureau of Legislative Affairs, focusing on Europe and Eurasia for the White House. With nearly two decades of experience, Bacon managed stakeholder engagement, including classified briefings and Congressional hearings. He also acted as Ambassador for Green Arrow Financial and worked as a National Legal Search Consultant at Abstone Lalley.

In earlier roles, Bacon advanced commercial diplomacy at the State Department, advising on global entrepreneurship and sustainability partnerships while fostering conflict prevention initiatives. He led outreach to Congress and the international community, collaborating with partners like Australia, Canada, and the UK. Additionally, he provided specialized legislative strategy advice and managed private sector outreach.

Before the State Department, Bacon was Legislative Counsel to Rep. Tim Ryan, focusing on foreign policy, financial services, appropriations, and trade policy, while spearheading external relations initiatives.

Why You Should Partner With Us

We are deeply connected to Congressional and Administration policymakers and maintain strong relationships across major media outlets. Our experience enables our clients to effectively engage decision-makers, shape public narratives, and expand their impact.

We work closely with every client to develop customized strategies that support their mission, strengthen their voice, and help them to achieve their goals.

Meet the Washington Strategy Group Team

Joel Rubin

President

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Joel Rubin

President

Joel Rubin is a leading national security expert and frequent media commentator who assists corporate, non-profit and international entities in achieving their policy goals through advocacy campaigns, media engagement, and precision networking. He is a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs in the Obama Administration, where he directed the State Department’s work with the U.S. House of Representatives. With nearly 20 years of experience in Washington, Joel has held senior positions in the U.S. State Department and run for Congress, providing him with a unique skill set to help clients navigate the political dimensions of U.S. foreign policy.

Joel launched his career in international affairs as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica. He then joined the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Energy Department as a Presidential Management Fellow. Later, he served as a career Foreign Affairs Officer at the State Department in both Near Eastern Affairs and Political-Military Affairs. Joel also served as a senior aide in the U.S. Senate, joining Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) as a Brookings Institution Legislative Fellow and then Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) as National Security Advisor. In the non-governmental field, Joel led political advocacy campaigns on national security, Middle East, and nuclear weapons policies at Ploughshares Fund, the National Security Network, and J Street.

Joel is a frequent foreign policy contributor to The Hill and Axios, as well as a regular presence on international television outlets and domestic television networks, such as MSNBC and FOX. He provides forward-thinking commentary on a broad array of topics ranging from American politics to Congress to foreign policy topics such as the Middle East, Russia, and nuclear weapons. He is also an elected local government official, serving on the Town Council of Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Joel holds a Masters degree in Public Policy and Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University and currently teaches a policy course on how Washington works at his alma mater’s public policy and management program in Washington D.C. In his free time, he enjoys spending quality time with his family and walking his rescue dog, Maddy.

Jack Hinkley

Video Production Specialist

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Jack Hinkley

Video Production Specialist – Contractor

Jack Hinkley is a video production specialist with a background in cinematography and visual arts. He shoots and edits original footage for WSG, supporting the full range of multimedia requests. During Joel Rubin’s campaign for State Delegate in 2018, Jack produced his video advertisements and was a core member of Joel’s political field team.

Jack studied Film, Photography, and Visual Arts at Ithaca College with a focus on cinema production and digital video. He also studied in the Film and Media Conservatory at the IB (International Baccalaureate) Program with a concentration in film analysis and post-production. In his free time, Jack enjoys collecting vinyl records and teaching himself creative script writing.

Dr. Nuku Ofori

WSG Advisory Board Member

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Dr. Nuku Ofori

WSG Advisory Board Member

Dr. Nuku Ofori serves on the Advisory Board at Washington Strategy Group. During the Obama Administration, he served as a senior advisor to Secretary Hillary Clinton and John Kerry respectively. As an expert specializing in sociology and public policy, Dr. Ofori led a broad range of policy and legislative initiatives pertaining to foreign affairs, international security, international trade, and immigration.

Prior to accepting his political appointment, Dr. Ofori served as Legislative Director and Counsel to former appropriator Congressman Chaka Fattah. He is currently an Assistant Teaching Professor at Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy, having most recently served as an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown and American University respectively. Dr. Ofori holds a B.A. in Sociology and Political Science from Baylor University, a Juris Doctorate from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law, and a Ph.D. in Sociology from American University.

Chic Dambach

WSG Advisory Board Member

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Chic Dambach

WSG Advisory Board Member

Chic Dambach serves on the Advisory Board at Washington Strategy Group. He is a former Chief of Staff for Congressman John Garamendi and has held several CEO positions at national nonprofits, including the Alliance for Peacebuilding, the National Peace Corps Association, Operation Respect, Museum Trustee Association, and the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies. As a consultant, he has advised the executive staffs and governing boards of prominent national and local nonprofits and published books on the subject of effective governance. Earlier in his career, he was the executive director of a community action agency and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia.

Chic is currently an adjunct faculty member at John Hopkins and American Universities, as well as a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. His international contributions include peace mediation initiatives in Eritrea, Ethiopia and the Congo, and service on the boards of global organizations, including the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace (publishers of the Global Peace Index). His memoir, Exhaust the Limits: The Life and Times of a Global Peacebuilder, has been widely praised. He holds a B.A. in Speech Communication and Rhetoric from Oklahoma State University and an MBA from Wake Forest University.

David Benowitz

WSG Advisory Board Member

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David Benowitz

WSG Advisory Board Member

David Benowitz serves on the Advisory Board at Washington Strategy Group. He is a seasoned criminal defense lawyer and a founding partner of Price Benowitz LLP, a skilled attorney firm that represents clients in white collar matters, internal investigations, and a variety of federal and local criminal cases. From 1995 to 2001, David was a Staff Attorney at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, recognized as one of the best public defender offices in the country, where he represented clients in the litigation of serious juvenile and adult criminal matters.

David is a member of the Executive Committee of The National Trial Lawyers – Top 100 Trial Lawyers, and is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Superior Court Trial Lawyers Association. He is also a Board Certified Criminal Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, has an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and has been selected to Super Lawyers and as a Top Attorney in Washington Post Magazine. David obtained an LL.M. in Trial Advocacy in 2006 from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law and his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.