JULIE ROGINSKY & CHRIS BASTARDI LAUNCH FULL-SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS FIRM BARO STRATEGIES

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Oct 02, 2023, 10:00 ET

Multifaceted Agency Provides Counsel and Bipartisanship in Era Where Nation's Businesses Increasingly Vulnerable to Reputational Damage

NEW YORK, Oct. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Crisis management experts Julie Roginsky and Chris Bastardi have joined forces to launch innovative public affairs and public relations agency, BARO Strategies. The firm's business model centers around hiring only senior public relations professionals to manage client needs from end to end.

"Clients should not go through the expensive and onerous process of onboarding a PR agency, only to have the senior consultants they thought they were hiring vanish, and be replaced by junior employees who do not yet have the experience to manage a crisis or a public relations campaign," said Ms. Roginsky. "At BARO Strategies, we believe that every project lead should have subject level expertise and experience that does not require on-the-job training."

"Regardless of meticulous planning, the unexpected quickly becomes reality, whether an emboldened regulator, a critical supply-chain interrupted by global conflict, a public health emergency, or a litigious competitor. In these moments of upheaval, a memo is not going to save you. A partner who faces the challenge head on, advocates for you relentlessly, and gets in the fight with you means everything. That commitment is at the heart of BARO Strategies," added Mr. Bastardi.

BARO Strategies is headquartered in Manhattan, with offices in San Francisco, led by Partner Kate V. Silina.

"In today's rapidly evolving media and regulatory environment, no organization is too big or too small to be at the center of a crisis or controversy and the consequences of getting it wrong can be existential," said Ms. Silina. "BARO's seasoned team has the expertise to give senior leaders the direct, data-driven, and practical advice they need to weather the most complex challenges. I'm thrilled to be a part of it."

For more information, visit BAROStrategies.com.

About Julie Roginsky, Principal
Julie Roginsky is co-founder of BARO Strategies and a nationally recognized public affairs and public relations consultant. She has nearly three decades of public and private sector experience as an adviser on strategic communications, political strategy, media, and crisis management.

Julie has advised Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, trade associations, non-profits, and dozens of elected officials at both the federal and state levels. She provides strategic guidance on public relations matters, including crisis communication, grassroots organization, media strategy, and survey research.

Her clients have spanned every sector of the economy, including transportation, healthcare, energy, real estate, technology, financial services, and government.

She has also served as an advisor to governors, senators, members of Congress, and state and local officials in both Washington, D.C. and around the country. Earlier in her career, she was the communications director for a United States Senator.

In the non-profit space, Julie is the co-founder of Lift Our Voices, a national organization dedicated to transforming the American workplace by banning workplace silencing mechanisms. She has been credited with helping to pass the Speak Out Act and the Ending Forced Arbitration for Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, which have been called the "among the largest workplace reforms certainly in our lifetime," by Senator Kirstin Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

Julie was previously an on-air contributor at CNBC and the Fox News Channel, where she was a frequent co-host of The Five and Outnumbered. She earned her B.A. and M.A. from Boston University.

About Chris Bastardi, Principal
Chris Bastardi is co-founder of BARO Strategies. From infrastructure, manufacturing, and development to healthcare, gaming and more, Chris has spent the past two decades leading or joining some of the most consequential public affairs campaigns in New York and across the nation. He has also managed electoral campaigns for both Republican and Democratic candidates at the federal, state, and local level.

His experience includes seeing clients through crises such as active shooter situations, corporate malfeasance cases, product recalls, and criminal and civil court proceedings.

Prior to establishing BARO Strategies, Chris headed the Public Affairs & Crisis practice at Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis. There, he oversaw both proactive and reactive crisis efforts for corporations, organizations, and individuals, including politicians, celebrities, executives, and activists. While at Edelman, Chris founded and led the real estate team at the firm's New York office.

Earlier in his career, Chris served as Director of Public Affairs and Communications for New York State Senator and Health Committee Chair Kemp Hannon (R). In that role, he supported efforts to enact statewide health policies, respond to a MRSA outbreak, and manage New York's transition away from hospitals and toward urgent care facilities.

Chris earned his B.A. from Fordham University and his M.A. from New York University. He serves on the board of Dance/NYC and as a member of the New York City Youth Board.

About Kate V. Silina, Partner
Kate V. Silina is a ghostwriter, media trainer, and expert in issues management. Most recently, she served as the Director, North America Communications at Visa Inc. and managed the west coast crisis communications, media training, and speechwriting practice at national PR agency Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis.

Prior to moving to California, Kate spent over 7 years in Washington D.C. during the Obama Administration, where she led legislative affairs for a $1.4 billion-dollar national security division at the Department of Homeland Security and served as an on-the-record spokesperson to Congress.

Over the course of her career, Kate has advised, media trained, and written for senior Obama Administration officials, Members of Congress, activists, founders, talent for a range of Netflix, Amazon, A24, and YouTube projects, and Recording Academy, Oscars, S4, Airbnb, and Google leaders.

She has also taught Crisis Communications and Legislative Affairs at Pepperdine University, California State University (CSU) and at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Brunswick, GA. Kate was named as one of the Hoya Professional 30 in 2017 and was honored to receive the Department of Homeland Security Special Act Award in 2014 for her work during the mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard.

A native of Vilnius, Lithuania, Kate has a master's degree in communications from Georgetown University and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland and University of Oxford.

About BARO Strategies
BARO Strategies is a bipartisan, senior, and full service communications and stakeholder engagement agency. Made up exclusively of senior and experienced communications and stakeholder engagement experts, BARO understands the high stakes of public relations and reputation management. With deep roots in crisis management, BARO Strategies represents prominent businesses, organizations, and individuals and are there for clients when the chips are down. Practice areas include: Advocacy & Public Affairs, Crisis Management, Data Analytics, Public Relations & Communications, Paid Media, Reputation Management, Research, Public Speaking and Media Training. BAROStrategies.com