Christian serves as Chief of Staff at the Aspen Institute. In this role, he provides operational and strategic support to the President and CEO; facilitates the work of the Institute’s Executive Team; leads cross-institute teams and projects that advance the organization’s purpose, mission, and strategic plan; ensures alignment across key Institute functions; coordinates internal and crisis communications and overall stakeholder engagement; and supports organizational strategic planning and execution. He has worked at the Institute since 2018, holding a variety of roles within the Office of the President during that time.
Previously, Christian worked in the Office of the President at Franklin & Marshall College, a national liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. There, his responsibilities included supporting the College’s strategic efforts to recruit, finance, educate, and launch substantially more students from lower-income backgrounds; integrating and coordinating the work of the College’s advancement, admissions, and communications offices in support of institutional priorities; and managing the president’s public voice and strategic communications. He also served on the team that launched the American Talent Initiative—an alliance of more than 100 top colleges and universities committed to addressing the national challenge of the underrepresentation of lower-income students in higher education.
Christian has worked previously in a variety of capacities to create opportunity for lower-income, immigrant, and other historically marginalized communities—including with clients seeking public legal assistance in his home state of Delaware and with families completing state and federal income taxes in Lancaster.
Christian holds a master’s degree in Education Policy and Management from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in Government from Franklin & Marshall College.