Team

Decades of experience driving victories in politics, public affairs, and strategic communications.

Leadership

Our Partners

Partner

Jason Thielman

Former Executive Director of the NRSC, leading the effort to flip the Senate in 2024—achieving the most significant majority since 2014.

Partner

Brock Lowrance

Former Independent Expenditure Director and Senior Advisor at the NRSC, with decades of experience at the highest levels of national politics.

Partner

Tim Edson

Former Political Director at the NRSC, heading the political operation that won the most Senate seats since 1980 in a presidential year.

The Team

Senior Leadership & Staff

Eva Bandola BergSenior Vice President

Eva Bandola Berg is a seasoned communications professional who has spent the last decade providing strategic guidance to Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, and C-suite executives. She was previously a Managing Director for CGCN, one of DC’s preeminent Republican public affairs firms.

In her role at CGCN, Eva worked to help clients with market positioning, executive thought leadership, crisis communications, and public affairs campaigns. Eva has a proven track record of driving traditional earned media in national, local, and trade outlets. She regularly counsels C-suite executives on how best to deliver their message for high-profile media appearances.

Earlier in her career, Eva served as Senior Vice President for Definers Public Affairs, a boutique strategic communications firm that specialized in bringing political tactics to corporate clients. Before that, Eva worked at crisis PR firm Trident DMG and new media startup Opportunity Lives.

Eva is a graduate of Miami University and lives in Washington, DC with her husband and son.

Shawn AffolterSenior Vice President

Shawn Affolter is the former Acting Assistant Secretary of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In this role, Shawn oversaw DOE’s legislative and state, local, and tribal engagements and helped successfully guide 18 presidential nominations through the U.S. Senate confirmation process to leadership positions throughout the Department. Notably, he worked with the White House and Congressional committees to help negotiate energy and innovation priorities in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including the creation of the Energy Dominance Financing program, reforms to energy tax credits, and new artificial intelligence (AI) investments for DOE, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and the National Laboratories to support the Administration’s Genesis Mission.

Previously, Shawn was Vice President of Government Relations at Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), a right-of-center advocacy organization focusing on American energy innovation. From 2018 to 2021, he was DOE’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Senate Affairs in the first Trump Administration. In that role, he was the agency’s principal liaison to the U.S. Senate where he helped guide eight presidential nominees through the U.S. Senate confirmation process and provided strategic advice to Departmental leadership on Congressional matters, including the passage of the Energy Act of 2020 and the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act.

From 2011 to 2018, Shawn worked for U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R-ND). In this capacity, Shawn helped advance key energy priorities including infrastructure policies, public-private research partnerships, advanced energy technology initiatives, and federal permitting reform. His work primarily focused on the Senate Energy and Appropriations Committees, where he helped manage oversight and budget hearings, legislative mark-ups, agency nominations, and funding requests.

Mr. Affolter is a native of North Dakota and a graduate of North Dakota State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and political science.

Chet MartinVice President

Chet Martin is the former National Field Director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) in 2024, and is a veteran of campaigns in over a dozen states. At the NRSC, he designed a first-of-its-kind data sharing program between Senate campaigns and allied issue advocacy groups, fueling a Republican majority. He previously served as President Trump’s 2020 Georgia Field Director and the RNC’s 2022 Georgia State Director.

Sophie VariscoExecutive Assistant

With over five years of experience working independently in media and press, Sophie Varisco continues to seek out opportunities to grow in her gifts and talents. From social media strategy, content creation, video production, administrative oversight, management experience, media training, press writing, and ghostwriting, she has learned to adapt to her environment and meet the needs of those she collaborates with—and continues to do so through S2R Public Affairs.

Three of the architects responsible for the GOP’s new Senate majority are launching a public affairs firm, S2R, to try and replicate that success for the private sector.

Testimonials

From the boardroom to the campaign trail, business-minded leaders and U.S. Senators alike praise S2R for their strategic precision, relentless execution, and results-driven leadership. If you’re in a high-stakes political or policy fight, these are the experts you want in your corner.