Rob Engstrom is the founder and CEO of Wolfe Street Partners, a national strategic advocacy firm he founded in 2017. The firm advises corporations, trade associations, and state and local chambers of commerce—helping them assess their capabilities, solve complex problems, sharpen their focus, and expand their effectiveness. Through nearly 30 years of work in all 50 states, Engstrom has built a national network of influential partners, elected officials, business leaders, and state-based organizations.

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During his career, Engstrom has directed more than half a billion dollars in political and grassroots efforts, including issue-advocacy campaigns focused on energy policy, financial services, health care, legal reform, labor, international affairs, and other issues. He has directly managed some of the nation’s most prominent political action committees supporting free enterprise. Wolfe Street Partners has represented some of America’s largest corporations, national and state trade associations, and leading media and digital companies.

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Engstrom also serves as president of the American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce (AmFree), a national association committed to advancing the American economic system and defending businesses of all sizes. He joined AmFree in 2023 and is a nationally recognized political strategist with nearly 30 years of experience at the intersection of business, public policy, politics, and advocacy. Throughout his career, he has led complex national and state campaigns and built coalitions among corporations, trade associations, chambers of commerce, and other organizations.

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Previously, Engstrom spent nearly 20 years at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he rose to senior vice president and national political director and served on the organization’s senior management committee. In that role, he helped lead the Chamber’s national political, grassroots, and election-related operations and served as its chief liaison to more than 2,000 state and local chambers and trade associations. He also managed the largest voter-education campaign in the U.S. Chamber’s history.

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Engstrom later served as senior vice president of political and state affairs for the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, directing state-level voter education, grassroots advocacy, and coalition-building efforts on behalf of the American business community. These efforts helped secure significant legal-reform legislation in jurisdictions across the country and curb the expansion of liability advocated by the plaintiffs’ trial bar.

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Earlier in his career, Engstrom served as director of political education at the Republican National Committee, represented the George W. Bush presidential campaign in six counties during the 2000 Florida recount, and worked on then-Speaker Newt Gingrich’s campaign, starting at $7.50 an hour in the mailroom. His earlier jobs included working in construction, scraping oil from the floor of a car dealership, teaching tennis, working at Sam’s Club, running a neighborhood lawnmowing “business,” and creating the first annual Old House Trail book sale in his parents’ garage.

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Campaigns & Elections named Engstrom one of its Top 50 Influencers of the 2014 election cycle and a Rising Star in 2009. Over the course of his career, he has worked in all 50 states and built long-standing relationships with business, industry, and political leaders nationwide.

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A frequent speaker on political, corporate, and association advocacy strategy and the broader issue environment, Engstrom has addressed audiences at the University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley, presidential libraries, international American chambers of commerce, and gatherings of pro-democracy leaders in Moscow, Taiwan, Israel, and El Salvador. He has served on the boards of the National Association of State Chambers, the Public Affairs Council, ALEC, and the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

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Engstrom lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with Celina—his perennial Wife of the Year—and their three G.O.A.T young children. He is an avid marathon runner.