Rod is a Florida business attorney and proud U.S. Navy veteran. He enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 and served from 2008 to 2014. He primarily served as the Assistant Engagement Control Officer and Tactical TOMAHAWK Strike Warfare Work Center Supervisor onboard USS The Sullivans (DDG68) in Mayport, Florida. Rod went on to earn his bachelor’s degree, with honors, from Florida International University in 2016 and Juris Doctorate from Syracuse University College of Law in 2020.
Rod’s career experience includes interning at the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, the White House, Office of White House Counsel, and the National Labor Relations Board, Office of General Counsel. He also served as a law clerk to the Honorable David Goldman, U.S. Administrative Law Judge.
Rod then received a presidential appointment to serve as counsel to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he provided legal advice and guidance on all matters related to the 2020 Decennial Census, Bureau of Industry and Security, congressional correspondence, congressional oversight, and FOIA litigation. Rod also served as a director for the RNC’s 2020 GOP Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C.
Rod ran as a GOP Candidate for Florida’s 22nd Congressional District in the 2022 midterm election cycle. Prior to his congressional campaign, Rod represented and counseled small businesses, entrepreneurs, and start-ups on business, corporate governance, and litigation related matters in West Palm Beach, Florida.