Jesse Scheckner
After working for the better part of a decade on Capitol Hill, Laura Hernandez-Smith is headed to the private sector.
Hernandez-Smith is joining ROKK Solutions, a bipartisan public affairs and strategic communications agency headquartered in Washington, D.C.
She’ll be the company’s sixth account director, according to its team roster.
Hernandez-Smith’s departure from Republican U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart’s Office comes after four years of work as the Congressman’s Communications Director, a role she has served in since March 2019, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Díaz-Balart’s current director of operations and press assistant, Andrea Morales, will take over as Press Secretary.
“As Communications Director, I worked through some of the most unprecedented and historic events of our time, including presidential inaugurations, impeachments, a global pandemic, (Díaz-Balart) being the first member of Congress to contract COVID-19, Jan. 6, historic protests for freedom in Cuba and Venezuela, among other things,” Hernandez-Smith told Florida Politics by email.
“Needless to say, I’ve learned and grown more than I could’ve ever imagined, and I’m excited to embark on this new journey. My deepest and most sincere ‘thank you’ to all of you whom I’ve had the privilege of working with and learning from over the years. I look forward to continuing our shared work in a different capacity.”
Hernandez-Smith joined Díaz-Balart’s Office as an intern while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Florida International University. She has since earned a master’s degree in public administration from FIU while moving up the ranks in the office.
She also holds a certificate in public policy analysis from the University of Pennsylvania.
