Drumfire’s team members come to us with a wide variety of backgrounds – Capitol Hill, PR agencies, the think tank community, the news media – to ensure we can help a client with any challenge, large or small, inside the Beltway and beyond.
Get to Know Us
Aaron Saunders
Founder and CEO
P: (202) 864-4151
E: asaunders at drumfirepa dot com
Aaron Saunders has the rare distinction of serving as senior staff for both a Republican and Democrat. This experience has allowed Aaron to maintain meaningful relationships with contacts from across the political spectrum, both on and off Capitol Hill. During his five years with Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Aaron was the national on-the-record spokesperson, including during Senator Stevens’ time as Chairman of the Senate Commerce and Appropriations Committees. Aaron went on to serve as the communications director for Senator Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) for two years, including serving as spokesperson for the Senator during the BP oil spill. In 2010, Aaron joined a nationally recognized crisis communication and public affairs firm. Over his five years there, he rose to Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer where he managed the firm’s day-to-day operations. Aaron led accounts for Fortune 500 companies and trade associations in the consumer products, defense, education, energy, health care, manufacturing, and technology sectors. He has extensive experience communicating complex issues and gaining regulatory and legislative support for products and technologies that upset the status quo and draw intense scrutiny. Today, he performs a variety of public affairs functions – including strategic planning and counsel, crisis training and management, media engagement, media training, and coalition building – for his firm’s diverse group of clients.
Kathryn Rodriguez
Vice President
P: (202) 864-4152
E: krodriguez at drumfirepa dot com
Kathryn Rodriguez has extensive experience in both non-profit and corporate communications. For three years, Kathryn served as the public relations director for the Statistical Assessment Service (STATS) at George Mason University, a non-profit organization dedicated to correcting scientific misinformation in the media. In this role, Kathryn frequently worked with scientific experts, academics, and journalists to pitch and place articles and to correct misinformation in published works. As a result of this regular outreach, she developed – and still maintains – a network of media and advocacy contacts. During her time at STATS, Kathryn worked on a wide range of diverse regulatory and public policy issues. In 2014, Kathryn joined a nationally recognized crisis communication and public affairs firm. During her time there, Kathryn completed large-scale research and landscape analysis projects for a variety of clients and worked to advance clients’ position as thought leaders inside the Beltway and beyond. She joined Drumfire Public Affairs in 2016, and today services accounts for Fortune 500 companies and trade associations, specializing in digital and social media strategy and management, media outreach, communications materials development, strategic planning, and ally engagement and mobilization.
Jennifer Suzara
Vice President
P: (202) 864-4153
E: jsuzara at drumfirepa dot com
Jennifer Suzara helps a diverse set of clients develop smart and effective media strategies. Drawing from an extensive background in news producing and management, Jennifer specializes in positive story pitches and placements, successful media defense, and optimizing effective issue advocacy and messaging. She began her news career in New York City as an Assignment Editor at a Fox affiliate television station before heading to Fox News Channel where she became the Deputy Foreign Editor. Jennifer then headed to the nation’s capital to work at Fox News Channel’s Washington, D.C. bureau. During her seven years there, Jennifer was a newsroom producer covering political, national, and international news. While serving as a White House producer, she traveled extensively with President Barack Obama, eventually working her way to newsroom management, where she supervised a team of 15 DC-based producers.
Meredith Kenny
Vice President
E: mkenny at drumfirepa dot com
Meredith Kenny brings extensive experience in internal and external communications for Congressional leaders, private corporations, and statewide political campaigns to Drumfire. During her tenure as Communications Director for Congressman Don Young, Meredith served as the official spokesperson for his personal office, as well as three of his campaigns, one of which was ranked in the Top 10 upsets by Politico. Following her time on Capitol Hill, she worked with a public affairs agency in Seattle, before heading back out on the campaign trail as lead communicator for the Washington State Republican Party, in a year with six statewide seats up for election. In 2013, Meredith joined the communications team at ConocoPhillips Alaska, the 49th state’s largest oil producer. For almost a decade, Meredith led multiple internal and external communications initiatives, worked extensively on three victorious ballot measure campaigns, and served on the company’s Incident Management Team, continuously drilling crisis communications. In 2022, Meredith left the company to pursue independent work, where she now leverages her extensive experience for the clients of Drumfire Public Affairs.
Rob Sawicki
Vice President
E: rsawicki at drumfirepa dot com
Rob Sawicki is a seasoned strategic communications expert, with extensive experience servicing clients from both the public and private sectors. Rob spent 15 years on Capitol Hill, including more than a decade as a senior communications strategist. During that time, he served as Press Secretary for Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Rob also served as Senior Communications Advisor for Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, including during her tenure as Chair of the Senate Energy Committee and Senate Small Business Committee. Rob was a key member of the team responsible for developing strategy and messaging for Sen. Landrieu both during the 2009 debate over the Affordable Care Act, as well as the 2010 BP oil spill. Since leaving Capitol Hill, Rob has been responsible for leading messaging and communications strategy for numerous clients in the energy, health care, transportation, IT, and BioTech spaces. For Drumfire, Rob provides clients with strategic counsel, message development, media relations, and speechwriting support.
Stephen Schatz
Senior Vice President
E: sschatz at drumfirepa dot com
Stephen Schatz is an experienced communicator, policy operator, and political strategist who has had the distinction of serving in diverse roles and responsibilities from Capitol Hill and the campaign trail to the White House and State House.
Following a decade in Washington, D.C. working for national retail trade associations in policy communications and media relations, Schatz spent the last 8 years in Annapolis, Maryland, serving as a senior advisor to Governor Larry Hogan as Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. As Deputy, Schatz oversaw climate, energy and environmental policy, programs, and regulations, as well as the work of a dozen state agencies and departments.
For Drumfire, Schatz leverages his connections and relationships – in and out of Washington, D.C. – to position clients for success as they navigate the turbulent political and policy challenges and opportunities on the national, state and local levels.