Chris is an emergency medicine physician serving as Market Chief Operating Officer for Providence Swedish Central Puget Sound, overseeing operations across four hospitals and a stand-alone emergency department. He previously served as Chief Medical Officer for the same market.

After medical school at St. Louis University, Chris served 23 years in the U.S. Navy, completing residency at Balboa Naval Medical Center (chief resident) and later serving as a Navy Flight Surgeon. In 2001 he was named the Navy’s Operational Flight Surgeon of the Year. He completed a clinical fellowship in cardiovascular emergencies and a master’s degree in health services research at Stanford University, where he was selected Bedside Teacher of the Year. He earned an MBA from the University of Tennessee in 2024.

His military executive path included two deployments to Afghanistan (trauma team lead, then Executive Officer/COO of the Naval Trauma Hospital in Kandahar), regional leadership of Navy clinics in San Diego, Chief Medical Officer of Balboa Naval Medical Center, and ultimately Chief Medical Officer for the Navy’s Pacific region. He retired as a Captain in 2020.

Chris and his wife Laura have been married 28 years. They have two sons and live in Washington.