Chris studies how corporate engagement with local (i.e., state or municipality-level) societal issues affects both organizational performance and community welfare. Related work also focuses on the role of affective polarization in complicating the risks and rewards to corporate social and political engagement.

Theoretically, he applies interdisciplinary concepts often from stakeholder and nonmarket strategy, as well as organizational theory, to understand society’s expectations for corporate engagement and motivations behind place-based corporate activity. 

Empirically, he works on developing and leveraging large-scale geospatial datasets of media coverage, corporate operations, demography, and institutional features that often vary by city, county, country or state.

Chris is a Fellow of Wharton’s Impact, Value, and Sustainable Business Initiative (Wharton Impact). He completed his PhD in Management (Strategy and Multinational Management) at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds an MS in Management Science from the Wharton School as well as an MS and BS in Applied & Resource Economics from the University of Connecticut. Prior to academia, he worked in management consulting for investment management firms, strategy at a scaling multinational network services / cyber security startup, managing operations for a nonprofit Connecticut startup competition and incubator, and university sustainability reporting and management.