About Washington Strategy Group

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.

Michael Freund

Senior Advisor

Bio

Michael Freund

Senior Advisor

Michael Freund is a former Deputy Communications Director under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the President of Chavrusa Consulting.

A graduate of Princeton University, Michael holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and is also an ordained rabbi with a vast network of connections in the American Jewish community as well as in Israel. He has been a veteran writer and syndicated columnist for the Jerusalem Post, Israel’s largest English-language daily, for over 20 years, and appears regularly in the media.

He founded and chairs Shavei Israel, a nonprofit that has brought more than 10,000 Jews on Aliya to Israel from far-flung communities in places such as India, China, South America and elsewhere. He has been a Visiting Fellow at the Heritage Foundation and is the author of two books.

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.