Chris Israel

Chris Israel joined American Continental Group in 2010, bringing with his experience as an accomplished public and private sector executive with an extensive record of leadership, including senior-level appointments by the President of the United States, service on Capitol Hill and holding a senior-level position within a Fortune 50 company. He is an expert in developing and executing effective policy and communications strategies. He is a frequent international speaker on innovation issues and was named one of the 50 “Most Influential People on IP” by Managing Intellectual Property magazine in 2006. Mr. Israel also currently serves on the Board of Advisors for Sproxil, Inc., a venture-backed social enterprise that provides a unique solution to minimize the presence of counterfeits in emerging markets, while connecting legitimate companies directly to their consumers in a very scalable way.

Prior to joining ACG, Mr. Israel was Managing Partner of PCT Government Relations which he founded in 2008. While at PCT he worked with a range of companies and organizations to develop public policy strategies designed to maximize their ability to innovate, compete and thrive in a challenging global environment.

Prior to launching PCT, Mr. Israel was appointed to be the first U.S. Coordinator for International Intellectual Property Enforcement by President Bush in July of 2005. In this role, he was responsible for coordinating and leveraging the resources of the U.S. government to protect American intellectual property at home and abroad. He was frequently called upon to testify before Congress and represent the United States internationally on a range of issues that impacted American intellectual property rights holders.

Mr. Israel also served for nearly three years as Deputy Chief of Staff to Commerce Secretaries Donald L. Evans and Carlos Gutierrez, where he assisted in the leadership and management of all major Commerce Department priorities such as trade and economic policy. He also served as senior liaison to the White House and other federal agencies.

Prior to serving as Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Israel was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy at the Commerce Department by President Bush. While in this position, he led the development and execution of the Administration’s policies designed to maximize U.S. competitiveness and technological growth.

Before serving in the Bush Administration, Mr. Israel was Director of International Policy at Time Warner where he worked on issues such as the protection of personal data collected on-line, management and protection of digital content and international e-commerce.

Earlier in his career, he served on Capitol Hill for U.S. Representatives Jan Meyers (R-KS) and Todd Tiahrt (R-KS).

Mr. Israel received his B.A. from the University of Kansas and an M.B.A. from The George Washington University.