Chris first joined the Coleman family in 2012 as a PMAC Organizer under the leadership of Neva Walker. He served on the Board of Directors before becoming Co-Executive Director.
Chris grew up in the Central Valley region of California. He was born into generational poverty, where he experienced welfare, food stamps, and mass disenfranchisement. Despite his father being a high school dropout, he holds a B.A. in Political Science, an M.A. in Negotiation, and a law degree from UC Hastings Law. After undergrad, Chris joined PICO California (Faith in Action Kern County) as a Community Organizer and Coleman Advocates as a PMAC Organizer.
Chris Chaired the City of Wasco’s Planning Commission before heading to UC Hastings. While there, he served as President of the Black Law Students Association, Summer Associate at Coblentz, Patch, Duffy and Bass, Extern for the 1st District Court of Appeals, and Extern for the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office. After law school, Chris worked at the law firm Lang, Richert, and Patch and oversaw compliance at a university. Before becoming Co-Executive Director, Chris taught criminal law and criminal justice at Cal State.
His life experiences have taught him that “if there is no struggle, there can be no progress.”