Archon James G. Rockas has been appointed to serve as Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security in the Trump Administration. In this capacity, Archon Rockas will lead the Bureau of Industry and Security’s mission to advance U.S. national security, foreign policy, and economic growth.
Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, National Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (AEP), stated: “The appointment of Archon James G. Rockas to this key position illustrates anew how each Archon serves God, His Holy Church, our Holy Mother Church of Constantinople, and His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in a huge variety of arenas, bringing the timeless sacred values of the Church into the secular realm. In this, the AEP is fulfilling our Lord Jesus Christ’s call to be the light of the world, and I congratulate and thank Archon James for his role in making our mission a reality.”
Archon Rockas served during the first Trump administration as the Deputy Chief of Staff of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, as well as the Deputy Director of Policy & Strategic Planning and lead spokesman for the Commerce Department. Archon Rockas later also served as Senior Advisor, Chief Policy Officer, and Deputy Chief Marketing Officer in the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, Energy, and the Environment. Before his work in the Executive branch, he was a Legislative Assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives, and worked on multiple political campaigns.
Until his recent appointment, Archon Rockas was the Director of Strategy and Global Government Affairs at the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and Executive Director of ACLJ Action. He is a longtime advocate of Orthodox Christians as they face persecution in the Republic of Turkey. Working with Archon James Speros and Angela Karageorgou of OnPoint Communications, Archon Rockas oversaw public relations for the 4th Archon International Conference on Religious Freedom, which was held in Athens, Greece in May 2024. Their work resulted in the Conference receiving tremendous coverage: 60 journalists attended, and the proceedings were discussed in over 400 articles.
Archon Rockas was instrumental in bringing former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to address the Conference, and moderated the Session at which Secretary Pompeo spoke. Archon Rockas asked Secretary Pompeo a series of incisive questions about his connection to the Orthodox Faith, in response to which the secretary described attending Orthodox services in his home city of Wichita, and his deep love and respect for the Orthodox Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew invested James G. Rockas as an Archon on Oct. 31, 2021 and conferred upon him the offikion Ostiaros.
