MEET THE TEAM
Founder
CHUCK ROCHA
Chuck began his political career in the woods of East Texas at United Rubber Workers Local 746. By 22, he had become the youngest officer of the 1,200 person local. At 29, he was hired to be the youngest, first person of color and last rank-and-file National Political Director of the United Steelworkers of America. He is credited with building out one of the top national labor political departments in the country.
In 2010, Chuck left the USW to create Solidarity Strategies. The firm was built on the idea of diversity, inclusion and mentorship opportunities for the next generation of minority professionals. In 10 years, Solidarity has employed over 100 young people of color and has become one of the most successful minority-owned political consulting firms in the nation.
Chuck has worked on several presidential, Congressional and gubernatorial races through the years, including both of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns. He is the first Latino to run a presidential campaign and accomplished all of this despite never attending college, having a criminal record and being a single father at 20 years old. Chuck often says his biggest accomplishments are his twin grandsons, Wyatt and Rowan.
Partner
DAYSI GONZALEZ
Daysi was born in San Salvador, El Salvador. She grew up in Northern California, having immigrated to the state with her family when she was six. She is the second in her family to graduate from college, where she completed a B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations at Brigham Young University- Idaho.
Daysi is passionate about progressive issues and, as a TPS holder, she focuses her activism efforts around immigration. She has participated in many issue-based campaigns, as well as delivered a TED Talk about her immigration story at her alma mater.
As part of the creative team, Daysi works with clients to produce compelling content that is centered on effective messaging and targeting. She has worked with a variety of elected officials, from city council members to congressional offices, in creating mail pieces, collateral material and digital graphics. In addition to design work, Daysi also coordinates phone campaigns for various clients.
Partner
LUIS ALCAUTER
Luis was born and raised in Michoacán, Mexico. At the age of 14, he relocated to Visalia, CA. He attended California State University – Fresno where he received a B.A. in Political Science. In 2014, Luis completed an internship with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute during which he was exposed to the many facets of a Congressional office. Luis’s responsibilities included researching and analyzing a broad range of legislative issues including taxes, the environment, veterans, women’s issues and foreign policy.
As a Partner at Solidarity Strategies, Luis leads our in-house design team to create content that is appealing, creative and effective. His work includes newspaper ads for the Bernie 2020 campaign, booklets for UnidosUS, mail pieces for candidates running for all levels of elected office, among others. Luis’s approach consists of innovative ways to communicate with minority communities.
Luis took a leave of absence from the firm in 2019 to work on the Bernie 2020 presidential campaign. As the National Paid Media Director, Luis was responsible for all of the paid newspaper and radio ads for the campaign, with a focus on the Latino community.
Associate
VANESSA SAENZ
Vanessa brings a wealth of experience in political fundraising and advocacy to her role at Solidarity Strategies. She is a first-generation Peruvian-American, originally from Passaic, New Jersey.
Prior to joining Solidarity Strategies, Vanessa honed her skills at the Strathdee Group, where she played a pivotal role in fundraising efforts for Democratic Latino Members of Congress like Reps. Tony Cárdenas and Sylvia Garcia. During her two-year tenure, she also collaborated with Empire Consulting Group to support Members in Leadership.
Before her time at the Strathdee Group, Vanessa gained valuable experience supporting political campaigns, including interning with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus political arm, CHC BOLD PAC, during the 2020 election cycle. Her commitment to community outreach and fundraising was further developed through internships with the U.S. Peace Corps and Rep. Jose Serrano.
Vanessa is passionate about advancing Hispanic representation and ensuring they have a voice at the table. She is excited to join the firm to continue electing and supporting diverse members of Congress who represent communities similar to the one in which she grew up.
Project Manager
ROBERTO NAVA
Roberto was born in New Jersey but raised in Cayey, Puerto Rico. He is the proud son of an immigrant father and a hard-working Boricua. He attended the University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras Campus, where he received a B.A. in Political Science in 2018. In 2020, Roberto graduated with a Masters in Public Administration with an emphasis in Public Policy from George Washington University.
Roberto is passionate about building Latino political power and had the opportunity of organizing the Latino community during the 2020 campaign cycle for Joe Biden in Florida, where he helped win 71% of the Puerto Rican support for the president-elect.
As an Associate at Solidarity Strategies, Roberto supports team members doing research, managing social accounts for clients and creating persuasive materials. His work includes supporting the in-house design team and helping with social media, communications and campaign strategy.