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Bullpen Strategy Group Expands Its Roster in Washington

Announces New Partner, Promotions and Team Members

WASHINGTON, DC – Bullpen Strategy Group (BSG) today announced two promotions, including a new partner, and eight new hires, adding depth to its communications, research and media monitoring practices. BSG is a public affairs and strategic advisory firm that has grown to more than 40 employees with offices in Washington, DC, London and Dallas.

Christian Hertenstein has been promoted from Managing Director to Partner. He has been with BSG since its founding. Christian has deep public relations experience including time at Publicis’s MSL Group and Florida’s Wragg & Casas. He has counseled diplomatic missions, corporations, foundations and associations facing an array of regulatory and litigation issues. 

Michael Ahrens was promoted to Senior Vice President. He joined the firm in 2021 after over a decade of advising some of the nation’s top political and business leaders. Michael served as Communications Director for the Republican National Committee and as a campaign aide to U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, Mitt Romney, and the Republican Governors Association. He also worked as a legislative aide to Sen. Roy Blunt and on the production teams at CBS News and Fox News.

“At Bullpen, we’re continuing to see our roster grow,” said CEO Joe Pounder. “I am excited to add Christian Hertenstein as a partner and to see our team advance and expand. We’re proud of our deep bench that brings results and drives value for clients every day.”

In addition, Chris Martin has joined BSG as Vice President in the communications practice. Chris previously served as the Deputy Executive Director of America Rising PAC, where he oversaw the organization’s earned media, rapid response, and political advocacy efforts. Prior to that, Chris worked on Capitol Hill as the Director of Rapid Response for the House Republican Conference, served as a Regional Press Secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee and Communications Director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

Sara Willi is now a graphic designer for BSG, having previously worked as a website support manager for more than 200 clients at a full-service marketing agency. She brings a diverse background of design fields, which include graphic, web, user experience and user interaction design. 

Giancarlo Payamps comes to the research practice as a Senior Associate from a public affairs firm where he monitored trade and regulatory issues. Garrett Scocos also joined the research practice as an Associate where he conducts in-depth research and analysis for a wide variety of clients in multiple industries including finance, healthcare, and government. 

In the media monitoring practice, Kuljeet Singh, George Basile, and Jack Lubbock have joined as associates. Multilingual in English, Hindi, and Punjabi, Kuljeet joins BSG from a global nonprofit where he focused on nuclear nonproliferation. George brings nearly a decade of experience from campaigns, legislative offices, nonprofits and the private sector. Based in London, Jack provides strategic monitoring and analysis services for clients with a focus on the crypto and energy industries.