Convergence Media- Founder and Partner
Rob Simms is a Founder and Partner at Convergence with more than 25 years of experience advising candidates and campaigns, Fortune 500 companies, Independent Expenditure units and SuperPacs, non-profits, and political organizations all over the country. Prior to starting Convergence with Mike Shields, Rob served as the Executive Director of the National Republican Congressional Committee during the 2016 cycle. NRCC Chairman Greg Walden called Rob’s leadership “instrumental” to maintaining the majority and said, “we kicked their tails,” beating expectations and what “conventional wisdom” expected during a presidential election year.
As Executive Director, Rob oversaw every aspect of the Committee’s operations including overall strategy, member and leadership relations, candidate recruitment, personnel, finance and the budget. He also oversaw historic investments in the organization’s digital operations, small dollar fundraising, and data infrastructure. As Political Director during the 2014 cycle, Rob served as the principal strategist of the Committee’s “Drive to 245” and oversaw the political operations for the Committee, efforts that led to the winning of 247 House seats, the largest Republican majority since 1928.
Rob has served as strategist, advisor and general consultant to campaigns for the U.S. Senate, Governor, Congress, as well as state and local offices from Georgia to Alaska. He has also owned a consulting firm, been a partner at a public affairs firm and held senior level positions in Congress and state government.
After successfully leading Karen Handel’s campaign for Georgia Secretary of State, where she became the first Republican since Reconstruction to hold the office, Rob was appointed Deputy Secretary of State. In this role Rob served as the Chief Operating Officer, overseeing virtually every aspect of the agency including more than 300 employees and 7 divisions. He led the implementation of Handel’s vision for reorganizing the agency, including reducing the budget by 20%,streamlining operations and improving customer service.
During the 2008 presidential elections, Rob helped oversee the administration of the largest election in the state’s history and the implementation of the state’s Photo ID requirement. He developed and oversaw the implementation of the state’s voter education efforts, partnering with many of Georgia’s corporate leaders, nonprofits and professional sports teams on the public relations campaign. These efforts became the backbone of the state’s successful legal defense of Photo ID, including on appeal to the U. S. Supreme Court. Rob testified in federal court as an expert witness for the state and later before the United States Senate at the invitation of Senator Saxby Chambliss.
A graduate of George Mason University, he has been an Adjunct Professor at his alma mater teaching classes on political parties and campaigns. A native of Northern Virginia, Rob is a long-suffering Redskins fan, soccer enthusiast and Nationals season ticket holder with his wife Cindy. They reside in Alexandria, Virginia with their son Jack and their dog Dutch.
