Chris was born and raised in mid-coast Maine. She received her BA from Brandeis University in Environmental Studies. She worked in the non-profit sector in Panama before starting an educational project serving at-risk youth in Panama City. She partnered with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and after the pilot year, the Smithsonian incorporated the program into their educational outreach all across the country. She returned to the U.S. to pursue her master’s at Harvard Graduate School of Education, focusing on human development and psychology. After completing her degree, she spent seven months living in a tent in the Himalayas in Nepal, helping rebuild schools after the earthquake in 2015. She returned to Maine to partner with her sister’s organic farm and the local school district to create a farm-based curriculum for high school students.

In 2017 Chris joined the East End House team. As Director of the Middle School Program, she has worked closely with the students, group leaders, and Putnam Avenue Upper School staff to reimagine the East End House Middle School Program. Chris now oversees the School Age Program and the Middle School Program as the Senior Director of Out of School Time Programs.