Chris grew up on the rolling plains outside Kansas City, playing in the woods and creeks around his home. His love of the land expanded from the Heartland to the bayous around Jean Lafitt while studying in New Orleans and the Indiana Dunes while earning his Ph.D. in Chicago.

He spent the first fifteen years of his career as a researcher and advocate working to create equitable policies for low-income families. While living in the Texas Hill Country, Chris took an impromptu desert climbing trip and fell in love with the land, sky, and unique cultural diversity of the Colorado Plateau. Chris first moved to Monticello, Utah and had the opportunity to work with various organizations across Southern Utah.

In 2021, he settled in Cortez, Colorado. He’s getting too old for impromptu climbing trips, but he's happy to be supporting Montezuma Land Conservancy to protect land and reconnect community in this special place.