Chris received a B.S. in Computer Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and worked in the computer industry for a decade before attending graduate school and earning an M.S. in Natural Resources Management/Ornithology from the University of Georgia. He worked in bird conservation for 25 years, most recently as Executive Director of the Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership. Chris was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the National Military Fish and Wildlife Association in 2021 and is a co-founder of Frontiers in Ornithology: A Symposium for Youth. He loves connecting people with nature through birds and his passion for birds has taken him throughout the Western Hemisphere, from Utqiagvik (Barrow, Alaska) to Tierra del Fuego, and 49 of the U.S. states. His father and grandfather were ministers in the Church of the Brethren and also worked with care of Creation and environmental justice issues in the denomination. His passion for birds and caring for nature and the environment started early in life. Joining IPC is a natural union of his professional and personal experiences.