Bipartisan conversation to headline NTEA Annual Meeting ahead of U.S. midterms
Top campaign strategists Karl Rove and Jim Messina will offer Work Truck Week® 2026 attendees expert insights into the American political landscape ahead of the pivotal U.S. midterm elections. The Republican and Democrat will share the stage for a bipartisan conversation as keynote speakers at NTEA Annual Meeting on Thursday, March 12, 2026.
Rove and Messina are two of the most sought-after pundits on politics due to their deep understanding and shrewd analysis of the political scene. Both have orchestrated successful presidential campaigns and have served as senior White House advisors, Rove for President George W. Bush, and Messina for President Barack Obama. Their keynote discussion will be moderated by Rick Albertini, 2026 NTEA Convention chair, and president & CEO at Phenix Truck & Van (Pomona, California).
“Given the current state of American politics, it can be tough to find a balanced perspective,” Albertini says. “We are giving Work Truck Week attendees the opportunity to hear about important issues from both sides. Rove and Messina will share their insider perspectives on what is happening in the country, what it means and what we can expect in the future. Along the way, they’ll also provide valuable tips about leadership, strategy and planning.”
Karl Rove
Before rising to national prominence as “The Architect” of Bush’s successful 2000 and 2004 White House campaigns, Rove was president of Karl Rove + Company, a public affairs firm that represented more than 75 Republican U.S. Senate, Congressional and gubernatorial candidates across 24 states.
He served as senior advisor to the president from 2000–2007 and as deputy chief of staff from 2004–2007. Rove oversaw the Offices of Strategic Initiatives, Political Affairs, Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs and was deputy chief of staff for policy, coordinating the White House policy-making process.
Today, Rove is a Fox News contributor and writes a weekly op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. He is the author of the New York Times Bestseller “Courage and Consequence” and the critically acclaimed “The Triumph of William McKinley.” He has written for various publications, including The Daily Beast, Financial Times, Forbes, Newsweek, Washington Post and The Weekly Standard.
Rove serves on the University of Texas Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee and is President of the Board of Trustees for the Texas State History Museum Foundation. He was inducted into the American Association of Political Consultants Hall of Fame in 2012.
Jim Messina
The mastermind behind President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, Jim Messina seized the reins on what Bloomberg Businessweek dubbed “the highest-wattage crash course in executive management ever undertaken” — and succeeded, earning the President another term in the White House. With the guidance of technology’s foremost leaders, Jim abandoned every step of a traditional presidential campaign and merged technology and politics in a way that was both unpredictable and unprecedented.
His strategies established the modern presidential campaign — Google’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt called it “the best-run campaign ever.” The American Association of Political Consultants later crowned him the Campaign Strategist of the Year.
In 2013, he launched The Messina Group. In this role, Messina provides strategic consulting to businesses around the world. The firm has been involved in winning public policy campaigns on five continents. TMG believes the most interesting problem in the coming years is: “Does regulation stifle or assist innovation?” Clients include Uber, Pillpack, Airbnb, Google, Delta Air Lines, Hutchison Whampoa, and over 300 others. In this role, Jim continues to advise Democratic organizations on domestic political issues in the U.S.
Since then, he has led his team at The Messina Group in advising over 13 Presidents and Prime Ministers on five continents, including UK’s Theresa May and David Cameron, Mexico’s Enrique Peña Nieto, Argentina’s Mauricio Macri, Italy’s Matteo Renzi, and in 2016, helped Spain’s President Mariano Rajoy win a surprising re-election margin.
Previously, Messina served as deputy chief of staff in President Barack Obama’s White House, where he was integral to the passage of the historic health care bill, the economic stimulus act credited with saving the U.S. economy, and the landmark repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” He gave truth to “The Fixer” moniker as he worked closely with the President and Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle to pass the Affordable Care Act.
For over 20 years, he served as chief of staff for various Senate and House offices on Capitol Hill where he worked to pass key legislation such as multiple tax cut bills, the Medicare prescription drug bill, and several trade agreements. Jim’s most formidable years on the Hill were spent as a senior advisor and chief of staff to former Senator and Ambassador to China Max Baucus when he was chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee.
Messina continues to provide insight on news outlets such as MSNBC, CNN, Bloomberg, Fox News, BBC and others. He serves on the boards of Global Counsel, Blockchain.com, Fortera, Vectra.ai, LanzaTech, the United States Soccer Foundation, The Wilderness Society, and the Montana Land Reliance.
Tickets and more information
In addition to the keynote, Annual Meeting includes updates on NTEA resources and initiatives. New for 2026, the event begins 30 minutes later, kicking off at 8 a.m.
Tickets for NTEA Annual Meeting, sponsored by Ford Pro, will go on sale when registration opens this fall.
Learn more at worktruckweek.com or contact NTEA (info@ntea.com or 248-489-7090) for more information.